From Frontline “Heros” to the Last line of Defense

For everyone that thought #COVID19 only affected the elderly, I hypothesized it was because COVID spread quickly in long term care facilities. The most vulnerable died first.

So we locked down.

We stifled the spread & “flattened the curve”.

We reacted appropriately, together, for the good of all.

We listened to and followed #Science, Physicians, Medical Experts in disease.

We made a difference. We bought time for science & medicine to tirelessly work endless hours for a cure, treatment, a vaccine. Hope.

We shared experiences. We adapted. We learned from each other. What we lacked in PPE, we made up for with innovative ideas and our resilience. We persisted. We adapted. We shared. We published. We reviewed. We learned, studied, & educated each other with experiences from across the globe. Science & Medicine vowed to come together & help each other for the good of humanity. We made some progress.

Yet the virus raged on.

But we grew weary. Complacent. Bored. Our instant gratification society grew restless.

The seeds of doubt were planted.

Leadership failed the medical community by creating fear, division, & a lack of cohesive, persuasive, sustainable plan to promote public health & safety for all citizens.

Division grew. Emotions surged. Public health became politicized & opinionated noise grew louder, drowning out facts, & spreading falsities & what some of the masses wished to hear. Truth suppressed, deception skyrocketed.

Emotionally charged fights, riots, debates all surfaced & bourgeoned, and while opinions raged loudly, SARS-CoV-2 continued its silent assault, spreading en force through non-believers.

Politics reverberated loudly over science.

So we reopened: Bars, Restaurants, Gyms, Sporting events, Malls, and some Schools.

And the virus surged on, persistently infecting all in its path.

The naysayers & non-mask wearers spreading, the believers & the mask wearers doing their best, healthcare workers lacking in PPE, overworked, understaffed, trying & doing their best to adapt with minimal resources.

And the young started dying. Long term effects of the virus became known. Reinfection started occurring. And cases & death counts surged.

Strict precautions instituted for our most vulnerable helped, & those thought to be “less affected” & invulnerable are now the highest spreaders of disease, & the ones dying.

COVID19 does not discriminate via age, color, sex, social status, or political views. SARs-CoV-2 is relentless. It cares not who you are or what you do. It infects, it replicates, it causes disease, disability, & death. It’s sole purpose is to infect, replicate, & repeat.

And here we are, 8 months later, in a worse spot than we were. Yes, we know more. Yes, a vaccine is on the horizon & provides hope, but we in healthcare are no longer on the frontlines of this war. We tried to educate. We tried to spread truth, awareness, & facts. Science spoke, but politics yelled louder.

Now it’s up to you – the public – to do what’s right. YOU are now on the frontline & in charge of making a difference. We in healthcare, we’re overwhelmed, exhausted, & trying our best, but we’re now the last resort, the back up plan, your last line of defense. There just aren’t enough of us left to care for all that are sick, ill, dying. We need you, the public to help us. We are pleading and begging for you to do your part, to stay home, to wear masks, to limit travel, to adjust your holiday plans for the good of humanity, for us.

Please.

Christina Dewey, MD, FAAP, @PedsMamaDoc