Published 15:18 IST, March 25th 2020
US doctor offers glimpse of his hospital life amid coronavirus pandemic
Craig Spencer, an emergency room doctor in New York City, took to Twitter to share the life of a medical professional working on the frontline of coronavirus.
A US doctor shared what his day looks likes in a hospital while trying to cure the coronavirus patients. Craig Spencer, an emergency room doctor in New York City, took to Twitter to share the life of a medical professional working on the frontline of coronavirus pandemic. Dr Spencer said that his day starts at 6.30am and makes a big pot of coffee for the whole day since the cafe near the hospital is closed due to the virus outbreak. He added that when he leaves for the hospital and walk through the empty streets, it feels like Sunday.
As soon as Dr Spencer reaches the hospital, he finds a cacophony of coughing and bright fluorescent lights of the ER reflecting off everyone's protective goggles. Spencer, who is the director of global health in Emergency Medicine at New York-Presbyterian / Columbia University Medical Center, mask up and walk-in for the 8am shift.
Dr Spencer said that after immediately assessing the patient, doctors have a long and honest discussion with the patient and family over the phone and in such case, they need to put on life support before things get worse. Meanwhile, the doctor gets notified of another extremely sick patient who needs to be put on life support.
“You bring them back. Two patients, in rooms right next to each other, both getting a breathing tube. It's not even 10am yet,” wrote the doctor.
Dr Spencer said almost every notification is about the same disease with similar symptoms and the immense workload and threat of removing the mask keeps them away from even drinking water for hours. The doctor, who survived Ebola, said that he has spent hours without drinking water while spending hours in a hot suit in West Africa.
The doctor wonders where did the other patients go since almost everyone is COVID-19 patient. He revealed that hospitals are running out of ventilators and share the concerns of friends working without protective equipment.
'Slow down the spread'
Dr Spencer wrote that hospitals are nearing capacity and running out of ventilators. He warned that numbers will undoubtedly skyrocket overnight as it has every night in the past few days and more will be put on a ventilator. He acknowledged that the world was too late to stop the virus but its spread can be slowed down by social distancing.
“I don't care as much about the economic impact as I do about our ability to save lives,” he tweeted.
Updated 15:18 IST, March 25th 2020