Thread by @Peaceful_411

Tale of Two #COVID19 Cases
/Thread

It started last Fri with my friend - who we will call Bert. He's an anesthesiologist in Virginia & had intubated a patient the previous Mon. Upon entering the hospital, patient had NOT been tested. So Bert was NOT allowed to wear an N95 mask.

2/The patient was ultimately given a test. 4 DAYS later, the results came back POSITIVE.

So now 4 DAYS LATER, Bert gets the call from his employer with this news. No need to get the test, they said. Wait to see if you have any symptoms, they said. And keep coming in to work.

3/So Bert is now freaking out, thinking back to how much time he had spent with this patient, how he was NOT allowed to wear an N95 mask when treating any patient who had NOT yet been tested, regardless of displaying COVID-esque symptoms.

(Intubation needed, remember?)

4/Bert is now hacking a dry cough while telling me all this on the phone Sat night.

Should he still go into work on Mon?
(Me: No!!!)

Should he try and get a test?
(Me: Yes!!!)

Is getting tested overreacting? (Me: No!!!)

Is a sore throat a symptom of allergies?
(Me: No!!!)

5/Now its Sun. Bert let's me know he was able to get tested and in 4 DAYS he will know the results. But he's totally feeling fine besides that pesky sore throat & occasional dry cough.

"Don't be a Rand Paul!" I yell at him. "Act like you would if this was the flu & STAY IN!"

6/It's Mon now. And my other friend - who we will call Ernie - contacts me from Philly. He woke up with a fever, chills & dry cough. What should he do?

I tell Ernie he needs to ACT like he would if it was just the flu. Don't panic. Keep your BP down. Then try & get tested.

7/I tell Ernie to schedule a telemedicine appt with his doctor and to do everything he can to get a test.

I then proceed to tell Ernie about Bert, how Bert is an anesthesiologist & was not allowed to wear an N95 mask when treating patients who had NOT already been tested.

8/I tell Ernie he needs to keep his options open, that if he ultimately has to go to the ER, he needs to go in ALREADY tested - so that the doctor who treats him will be ALLOWED to wear the right protective equipment.

Because being tested is ultimately about PROTECTING OTHERS.

9/I also tell Ernie that if the test comes back positive, that does NOT mean he needs to go to the hospital. Just stay in bed & treat this like a very bad flu.

"Don't try and power through!" I yell.

10/Getting tested now BEFORE the symptoms become life- threatening is about keeping your options open IF in fact you do have to go to the ER. Then the hospital will already know you have COVID upon intake & hopefully treat you AND their medical staff appropriately.

11/So Ernie books a telemedicine appointment with his doc and good news, he texts. The doc told him it was the flu. And there was no need for a COVID test.

I ask Ernie if the doc administered a flu test to him. He says no. Then how did the doc know it was just the flu?

12/Ernie says he couldn't tell the doc what his temp because he had no thermometer. He told him that he felt feverish, had the body aches & the really bad dry cough. But all the stores are sold out of thermometers & he had no way of telling the doc what his actual temp was.

13/So the doc prescribed Ernie Tamilflu & told him to call him back if he ended up having difficulty breathing. THEN the doc would decide if he should prescribe the COVID test.

By this time, Ernie is coughing uncontrollably. Doesn't know how he will get to sleep.

14/I find a blasted thermometer on Amazon that won't be in stock until FRI & order for Ernie. I tell him to keep monitoring his symptoms & if they worsen, to IMMEDIATELY call back his doc and DEMAND a blasted test. Do everything you can to NOT go to the ER untested.

15/So now it's Tues & we are waiting 2 MORE DAYS for Bert's test to come back - who is now feeling like a loser for not going into work.

I'm waiting to hear back from Ernie on how he did thu the night & if he's feeling any better. Maybe the Tamilflu worked.

To be continued...

UPDATE 1:
Just heard from Bert, the anesthesiologist in Virginia. He now feels totally crummy. He was convinced on Sun that he only had allergies & didn't need a test - despite intubating a patient that tested positive. Bert's got another 2 days until the test results come back.

Ernie in Philly woke up feeling more sick than he did yesterday. He feels that his fever is worse, his chest is starting to feel tight, and he can't stop coughing. But the dry cough now has some fluid in it - from the bottom of his lungs. He has to sleep sitting up.

I tell Ernie I will FedEx our thermometer & it should be there by tomorrow morning (I've already ordered more that should arrive by Fri).

"Get a 2nd doc appt tee'd up for tomorrow," I tell Ernie. Once he gets our thermometer, hopefully he can persuade the doc he NEEDS a test.

UPDATE 2: Ernie is still feverish & sick this morning. He also said the doc from his telemedicine appt - who ultimately denied him getting a #COVID19 test - told him that he would have to be with an infected person for at least 15 minutes to contract the virus. This is NOT TRUE.

#COVID19 can live up to 3 DAYS on hard surfaces including metal and plastic.

If your doctor says something otherwise, CHALLENGE him or her with what the NIAID study that was led by Dr. Anthony Fauci has determined so far.

niaid.nih.gov/news-events/ne…

Author of NIH NIAID study 👇🏽