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Thanks you for that, Dr. Fraser. The detailed account of all =
you=E2=80=99re going through is really valuable for us plebes. I salute =
you. You are truly heroic.
Jane
=20
From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca <naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca> On =
Behalf Of Margaret Fraser
Sent: Sunday, April 26, 2020 6:27 PM
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] RE: Common sense and caution
=20
Hi all. I am going to add my 2 cents to this debate.
I am a physician,working in the 2nd busiest emergency department in the =
province,after the Halifax Infirmary. I also work as a family physician =
with a reasonably busy office practice.
I have,in the past 6 weeks,watched as 2 of my nurses were infected with =
this virus from relatively minor exposures,and 15 others sent home to =
self-isolate. One of the nurses was in a high risk group. Several had =
children. All of them worried they had brought this home to their =
families. One of them did.
I worked 2 weeks in my office seeing patients in virtual visits before =
it was announced that we would be paid,that is to say,I worked 2 weeks =
knowing I might never get paid for the work I had done. I was prepared =
to continue this indefinitely, for the safety of my patients and of my =
office staff.=20
Every shift I work in emergency I must wear a mask the entire 8-10 hour =
shift, except if I take a break to eat or drink. I can only take a break =
if there are not already 2 unionized staff taking their mandated breaks =
in our break room,as I am not permitted to removed the mask in a =
clinical care area. You can probably guess how many breaks I get this =
way. I also must take my temperature,and record it along with any =
symptoms I might have like a runny nose,cough,fever etc, at the =
beginning and the end of my shift. I also have to change into hospital =
issue scrubs,and at the end of my shift wipe my phone,shoes and ID down =
with bleach, before showering. When I go home my clothing goes straight =
into the washer. I have special scrubs to wear to and from work. I no =
longer bother to pack a lunch or snacks.
Although our department is seeing fewer visitors,we are still having =
significant wait times. Why? Because each room has to be thoroughly =
cleaned after each patient,as we have to assume any of our patients may =
have the virus and just not have symptoms,so where we used to have one =
cleaner,we now have 5 working their arses off. The OR's are working in =
similar conditions. Any person coming in to the hospital is assumed to =
be covid positive until proven otherwise. Cancer surgeries are still =
going on in our hospital,but nothing that can be put off such as hips =
and knees. Why not? Not because we might need the beds,although we =
might,but because hospital acquired infection is a real threat. Go in =
for a knee surgery,come out with a covid-19 infection. The very =
hospitals that house hip and knee surgeries are also the hospitals with =
covid units. Keep in mind as well that the test for this virus,like =
every other diagnostic test,has a failure rate,so although the test is =
negative,you might still have the virus. Also keep in mind that most hip =
and knee surgeries are carried out on elderly patients,the very people =
meet at risk of dying with infection.
I haven't seen my 81 year old father in 2 months. He's stuck in Toronto =
because neither my sister nor myself can quarantine for 2 weeks and we =
are not keen to have him enter a flying cesspool at the moment.
I haven't gone anywhere but work and the occasional grocery shoping trip =
in 2 months.=20
Our hospital system was overstretched before we got into a pandemic. Do =
you think it is doing any better now?=20
Our emergency departments were on their knees begging for help before =
the pandemic. Do you think we have it now?=20
Please,stay home. It is working,we are flattening the curve. That is the =
reason we only have 3 cases in the provinces ICU's. No one is enjoying =
this,and no one is profiting from this. People who think they know =
better should maybe,just maybe,trust that public health knows what they =
are doing. This is not indefinite. We will be free sooner if we all =
follow the rules.
Stay the blazes home. Please.
Dr. Margaret Fraser
President, Cape Breton Medical Staff Association
=20
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class=3DMsoNormal><i>Thanks you for that, Dr. Fraser.