Items

• 2020-05-28

  The Unseen Deadliness of SARS-COV-2

  I had a recent death in the family caused by the ongoing crisis. The huge spike in cases put hospitals and the whole health care system at risk of collapse. There are simply no funds, space, and people to control the rapid climb in cases. Because of this, many people who routinely need to go to the hospital had to pause their treatments. My grandpa, for example, had a small, stomach surgery to prevent his fluids from seeping into his chest cavity. A week or so after the surgery he was feeling ill again and very weak. He started getting chest pains so he went to the hospital. They found no leakage and were confused as to why this was happening. They gave him some medication and sent him home. Over the next few days, cases continued to sky rocekt...they doubled each day. He had had enough of the pain and was keen on seeing a more specialized doctor. But, he couldn't. All doctors were taking up 12-hour shifts to help with COVID-19. He finally got a slot with his regular pediatrician and she determined he must have had a small infection after the surgery. She prescribed him with many antibiotics and more pain meds and scheduled him for another appointment a week after. At that point, the hospitals were completely filled. Field hospitals were opening up, surgery rooms, and maternity wards were quickly being converted to ICUs (Intensive Care Units). He was not able to schedule a surgery to fix the problem and died at home a couple of weeks later. Although he did not die from COVID-19, COVID-19 caused him to die.