Coronavirus: January may be our most difficult month yet
By Dr. Zulfikar Bux
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt Medical Center
Kaieteur News – As the developed world begins to vaccinate against the Covid-19 infection, many are beginning to celebrate and relax thinking the end of the pandemic is near. This is far from a reality as the pandemic will not stop until vaccination is around 70 to 80 per cent worldwide. In Guyana, we are relaxed too much especially in December where crowds gather to celebrate and prepare for the holidays. It saddens me when I see this because I am in the front line and my experience there scares me as we approach January.
What usually happens in January?
This month, we tend to see an increase in the number and severity of sick patients presenting for care. We are usually pushed to the brink by how many sick people we have to go to after the holidays. The luxury eating and drinking that comes with the holidays, aggravates underlying medical conditions and leads to many medical emergencies. To complicate this, there are many patients hospitalized with alcohol-related illnesses and injuries that overflow into January and occupy bed spaces. People with chronic diseases either neglect their condition or their relatives neglect it during the holidays. They then introduce larger numbers in January of complications arising from neglect of their health. As a result of these and other factors, hospitals are being stretched to the max whenever January comes around.
Possible surge of Covid-19
What worries me is the massive gatherings that have started happening since the beginning of December. Whether it’s shopping, gift-sharing, end-of-year dinner or end-of-year parties, many take the opportunity for “relief” as the year comes to a close. I’ve said before that the virus thrives in assemblies and if we’re not careful, there is bound to be a surge in Covid-19 outbreaks after the holidays. Unfortunately, this will conflict with all the other cases of sick patients who are usually present for care in January.
Can our health system cope?
I wish I knew this answer so that I would not have to worry about what will happen in January. The combination of a surge in sick patients with a surge in Covid-19 cases in January can only be disastrous for the health system. If the system is overwhelmed, then patients will not receive the best possible care as they will not be able to access routine medical services efficiently and effectively. Our number of health workers and the space available to care for patients is limited and will not be sufficient if there is a surge in Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 cases in January. My biggest fear is the scenario where patient care cannot be provided because we have run out of space or there are not enough health workers. This is happening in the first world right now and we are not immune to this possibility. Can you imagine having Covid-19 and not being able to breathe and unable to access oxygen because all the available oxygen ports are used by other patients? This is the bleak reality of the effects of the pandemic in some countries.
What can you do to help?
What we do and how we behave in the next few weeks will determine whether we break our health system in January 2021. We are in the midst of a pandemic and cannot expect to be normal and celebrate the holidays as we are. usually do in others. years. Avoid gatherings, postpone lunch, shop online or do your shopping in places that aren’t crowded. If you’re in a nearby area where you can’t be six feet apart from others, leave. Adjust the “no assembly and responsible celebration” attitude for the Holidays and encourage others to do the same. If we are successful in this, then January 2021 will be easier for us all and the sick will be able to urgently access the care they need.