It's Not About You

I’ve never been much of a worrier. Oh my mom was. If she didn’t have anything to worry about, she would worry that she didn’t have anything to worry about. I’m not that way. Almost to a fault.


I’m not afraid of much either. I’m not afraid of the dark. Not afraid of noises in the night. Not afraid to go into a strange neighborhood. I’m not really afraid of the Coronavirus either. Let me explain.


I’m in several at-risk categories. I’m 66. I’m a healthcare worker. I’m still working, out in the public every day, seeing patients and doing my job. The chances of me being a carrier are above average. Certainly above those that are quarantined, without contact with the rest of the world.


I do respect the Coronavirus—I just don’t fear it. Not for me personally. I may be a senior citizen but I’m in quite good shape, for a man my age. I’m getting more sleep than I have since I was a teenager. My blood pressure is under control. I’m eating well.


I’m not naïve and I’m not stupid, but I’m confident that my physical condition and health practices will help me if I did get Coronavirus and I’m confident that I will get the care that I need were I to be hospitalized. In the meantime, I have a job to do.


I’m doing my part to protect myself. I usually wash my hands often, before and after every patient. Now I’m adding in a squirt of hand sanitizer every time I pass a dispenser. Washing my hands whenever possible. I wear a mask when in the clinic and when I’m in a public place.


I practice social distancing. My desk has been moved so that I’m a good distance from anyone else. I’m giving more than the six feet of recommended space. I avoid other people except when absolutely necessary. It’s not impossible for me to get Coronavirus, but I am doing everything that I can to protect myself. I feel pretty good about my chances.


But that’s not what worries me (yes, I do worry a bit, sometimes). What worries me is that I will be a carrier without even knowing it and will give it to someone else. A patient. A coworker. A family member.


Because of that, I am completely isolated from my family. With a newborn in one household and two physician parents in the other, all risk needs to be minimized. And since I’m a possible carrier, despite all I’m doing, I stay away from all of them.


I’ve quit riding a bicycle in a group not for fear of being contaminated by someone else but for fear of being the reason someone else gets it. Let’s face it—being in healthcare means I am at risk, regardless of what I do. I accept that and go on. But I cannot allow myself to be the reason someone else gets it. I have a social and professional responsibility to protect others.


Now I’m going off on a rant…. Every day, I see people being very cavalier about this. People standing around talking without masks or social distancing. People sitting at a picnic table having lunch like there isn’t a raging pandemic out there. People wearing gloves and using that as an excuse not to wash their hands (folks, all you’re doing is carrying this stuff from one surface to the other and protecting no one).


If that’s you, if you aren’t washing your hands, keeping your hands out of your mouth, and practicing strict social distancing, WAKE UP! You may not be concerned about your own personal safety but what about others? Your grandmother, your infant niece, your immunosuppressed cousin that had cancer not that long ago, your friend with diabetes?


YOU have a responsibility to THEM. If you don’t think it will get you, that’s fine. I guess that’s your business. But don’t be the reason someone else gets it. We simply must put a stop to the spread of this disease. Before someone you know or love gets it.