Read the original article A year ago, I would hear pots and pans clanging in support of health-care and essential workers. We would chant “We are all in this together” and “Flatten the curve” as a collective. I was scared for what was coming because it was unfamiliar, but I felt supported and optimistic that … Read More
Dispatches – April 16: “An unprecedented but preventable crisis”
Read the original article I am tired after my weeks on service. But I am more angry than tired. An ICU doctor I respect very much said on a panel yesterday that every single person she’s treated for severe COVID-19 has been racialized. Every single one. Let that sink in. This is not dissimilar from … Read More
Dispatches – April 13: “How do you even triage patients who are aged 30 to 50?”
Read the original article Inside the hospital walls, we have shifted to bracing ourselves for what we know is coming. We are figuring out staffing/redeployment, expansion of medical units, possible medication rationing and triaging for sick patients. How do you even triage patients who are aged 30 to 50? It’s scary to think about. The … Read More
Dispatches – April 12: ‘I’m frightened for the days and weeks to come’
Read the original article Make no mistake – things are bad. We are doing our best to control the chaos but our third wave is here. The term variant of concern (VOC) probably is no longer required. VOCs are the new COVID. It’s not if you have a variant, it’s what variant do you have. … Read More
Dispatches – April 9: The nightmare is coming true
Read the original article The nightmare scenario from last April is reality today. Elective surgeries are shutting down. Health-care workers are being redeployed. Province-wide stay at home orders are in effect. Now we patiently wait to see if we can bend the curve. Fingers crossed this makes a difference. The mood in the hospital is … Read More
Dispatches – April 8: Still waiting for a plan
Read the original article I am struck by how quickly the COVID-19 variants infect entire households. Most members of a family I saw Wednesday had contracted the virus; the mother had become so unwell that she was admitted to hospital. Unlike earlier waves, in which people had some idea of exposure, many now have no … Read More
Dispatches – April 7: “We are failing to protect our most vulnerable”
Read the original article People ask me what it’s like working on the hospital wards right now. In one word – exhausting. You have to scramble for the time and attention required to actually see and treat patients. I had high hopes for our vaccine access system given the stakes. But I spent an hour … Read More
Dispatches – April 6: A growing sense of dread
Read the original article This time feels different. Just like in previous waves, we are told the road ahead will be difficult and unpredictable, but as I see younger people coming for care in higher numbers, I feel a growing sense of dread. A year ago, I was checking into a hotel in preparation for … Read More
Dispatches Series
I will be starting rotations at St. Michael’s Hospital from April 2 through to April 16, 2021. I will be documenting and sharing my front-line experiences in the hospital bringing awareness to the differences of this third wave of COVID-19 in comparison to the previous waves. I will be sharing these daily dispatches through Healthy … Read More
Faces of Health Care
This series uses a Humans of New York format to tell the stories of people in health care. I was the founder, producer and photographer of this series. Healthy Debate will be sharing their stories. Thanks for reading! And stay tuned.