Breakthrough COVID is Real
Let’s keep our masks on
The vaccinated can get COVID too
Two days ago I had a couple in the ER. In the course of my interview the wife, who was my patient mentioned that she had been recently afflicted with the COVID virus.
Naturally, I asked her If she had gotten the vaccine, she confirmed she had received it early in the year. Her husband confirmed he had been fully vaccinated as well.
The next words out of their mouths shocked me quite a bit.
They both admitted they had covid more than two months after they had been vaccinated.
The patient went on to say she had been hospitalized for several days. She felt so ill she was almost intubated. She stated said she never prayed as hard as she did then.
Her husband did not get as sick as she did though he had symptoms of the virus too.
These are not the only cases I know of.
For about three months we had seen a drastic decrease in the rates of infections. Hardly any infections were noted.
Then the places re-opened, the mask mandates were lifted and the public went wild.
Though many people who present to the hospital admit they had not been vaccinated, they do not wear a mask.
Our hospital policy requires the continued use of a mask when indoors, but our own employees continuously violate that rule.
The patients do the same thing.
We offer them masks at the triage window, but they either do not cover their nose, or pull it under their chins to speak.
Once you bring them into the hospital, all bets are off. They completely take the masks off. Most days I feel like I am a kindergarten teacher, constantly reinforcing the correct way to wear a mask.
Then patients will often say, “but you are vaccinated, arent you, so I don't need to worry?”
Yes, you need to worry, this is a hospital and sick people come here all the time. Just as you expect me to be fully vaccinated to protect you, I expect YOU to be fully vaccinated to protect the general public and me and my family too!
I have a child at home that is too young to be vaccinated as yet, so I have to be extra careful when I get to my house to not come in contact with him before I change and take a bath.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), New York, and California are in the process of making it mandatory for government employees to be fully vaccinated, or at the least wear a mask while indoors.
Get vaccinated or face weekly testing. To be exempt will require a doctor's note.
My employer has begun compiling proof of all vaccinated employees.
The handwriting has begun appearing on the wall … eventually it will most likely be mandated that all employees be fully vaccinated to retain their jobs.
Mandating mask-wearing is a good game plan if the employees would comply.
Some won’t.
Some employees will never follow the rules. They will not wear a mask. If they must wear one it will be under their nose or ill-fitting. Masks that are too large for their faces.
And some will wear none at all.
Thoughts to ponder
I see the latter every day, the ones who will argue as to their right to put everyone else at risk by absolutely refusing to wear a mask.
They will do so while being in your personal space furiously spitting aerosol in your face.
My co-worker has been fully vaccinated for months, but she has confirmed through repeated testing that she has no antibodies. That is not an isolated case.
Each human being is different, there is no one size fits all, especially in the case of medicine.
What works for one will never work for all.
Let us remain careful and diligent. Continue to practice hand hygiene, social distance when possible, and wear our masks.
Though many of us are fully vaccinated, no one really knows who is still vulnerable.
Stay woke!
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