February 17, 2022
whew, resting is good
Sorry that I have fallen off the writing cliff for the past 10 days. Jamie and I went to the Oregon coast with our puppy Barlow, who is not so little anymore. We were there for 8 days, long enough for my anxiety to start to ease, as I let go of patient care responsibility. There is nothing like walking on a beach a few times a day to ease that tension, along with the knowledge that my patients are not my responsibility now. I hope to write in the more future about the challenges of the medical system, especially for primary care providers, after I sort through everything I have experienced the past few years. The Atlantic has an excellent article about the situation if you are interested. Reading a couple of novels while there also helped clear my mind, such a luxury for me. I also read this report that our lifetimes of memories “clutter our minds,” making it harder to recall events and names. Our slow memory retrieval is not dementia after all!
Now it seems once again we have some lightening of the pandemic. This animated map from CNN shows the rise and fall of cases around the country since the summer. Remarkable, really, how fast the Omicron wave came and how fast it is falling. Let’s hope that another variant doesn’t come roaring in to roll back our hope.
In the meantime, states are dropping mask mandates. Many places are preparing for the next phase of the pandemic, with California starting to treat COVID-19 as a manageable risk. This is a challenging and vulnerable time because people will be approaching the end with different levels of acceptance and anxiety. Some will be relieved and stop mask wearing immediately, others will hold onto the safety of the masks for longer. The big issue is that there are still so many people vulnerable to infection because they have issues with their immune systems and can’t mount a good response to the vaccines and boosters. For them, the loosening of restrictions will increase their anxiety but not increase their sense of freedom or safety. Maintaining safety for them is possible with masking and testing.
Keep in mind that effective treatments are available now. My advice for the more vulnerable is to wear good masks and know how to access treatment. Many ER’s can give them. Doctors will be able to prescribe the pills which are starting to become available. These treatments help prevent serious illness and death for the unvaccinated and high risk patients. Even if you don’t need treatment yourself, you can help friends or family if they are in need.
Wash your hands, cover your nose, get your booster, know your treatment options, and help your friends and family.
And finally, my caveat is that this is my experience and my opinions, which are subject to change as more information is available, and not related to the organization I work for. Thanks for reading.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220211111852.htm clutter the mind
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/02/why-does-the-us-make-it-so-hard-to-be-a-doctor/622065/
https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/14/us/covid-cases-animation/index.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/17/us/washington-state-covid-mask-mandate.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/12/world/scientists-prepare-for-the-next-phase-of-learning-to-live-with-covid.html
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/02/17/world/covid-19-tests-cases-vaccine/california-lays-out-a-plan-to-treat-the-coronavirus-as-a-manageable-risk-not-an-emergency
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/04/opinion/covid-denmark-end-of-pandemic.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/17/us/high-risk-covid-immunocompromised.html
https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-university-of-pittsburgh-coronavirus-vaccine-799a2ea13b5a4de5db4f559a00a1b6e9