1. Observations I made this week…
- A majority of patients I saw this week had contracted COVID over the holidays.
- Symptoms varied wildly, including one, some, or all, of the following: Sore throat, fever, body aches, sinus congestion, runny nose, cough, headache, fatigue, loss of taste and/or smell.
- Several stated that they knew of friends or family that were hit pretty hard with the virus, with some needing to go to the hospital, but none of the patients themselves needed medical attention, and all of them stated that their symptoms were mild.
- Most stated that their symptoms were on par with a typical cold or mild flu.
- Many expressed surprise that so many people who were fully vaccinated got infected. Most are now more aware that the vaccine does not prevent getting COVID, nor does it prevent the spread of COVID.
- It did not appear that being vaccinated or unvaccinated impacted the severity of my patients’ symptoms.
- Two nurses both stated that they felt the hospitalizations that they were handling over the holidays was a mix of about 50% vaccinated and 50% unvaccinated. I found that interesting because it contradicts what the media is reporting. It was reported that of the 35,962 people admitted to the hospital since June 1st, just 2,687 were fully vaccinated. Not sure if these numbers are shifting more recently. Hard to know what to believe. I’ve reached out to more healthcare providers to get their perspective.
- Two patients this week shared that they had family members that were hospitalized with COVID, with one passing away last weekend, and one in very bad shape, on a ventilator, and not expected to make it. Both these people were fully vaccinated, including the booster.
I’m sharing this information because I have the opportunity to interact with a lot of patients each week, gather a lot of real-world, real-time data. It is observational data, but has provided me with a perspective that I am using personally to safely and effectively navigate these crazy times. We can only make the best decisions if we have accurate information. It is clear that what gets reported on the news is not consistent with what I see daily in practice. I am not sharing this information to sway your thinking or convince you of anything. I feel an obligation, as a healthcare provider, to share data that I come across and find interesting or helpful. These are my observations. You, or your sources, may have different observations.
2. Video clip I watched this morning…
In an effort to relax and reverse the frustration I feel surrounding the handling of this pandemic, I found a 13-minute video clip from Planet Earth. Nature images and videos do something to our physiology that is helpful, healthful, and so good. Wow! Check out at least some of this video. The avalanche footage around the 4-minute mark was powerful, the BASE jumpers at the 7-minute mark were exhilarating, and the sandstorm footage at the 12-minute mark is amazing. This clip has over 36 million views. Getting out in nature is ideal, but watching nature videos does the body and mind good!
3. Great post I saw this week…
Town Hall Café in Cleveland is one of my favorite restaurants. They happen to have one of the best social media staff I’ve seen. They post GREAT info. Here’s one from this week…