Spaceman

I was oncall on Tuesday April 7th, when a 70 yr old patient with a myriad of medical problems developed breathing difficulty. He obviously needed respiratory assistance with a ventilator. He would be the archetypal patient most likely to be afflicted with COVID19. But because his test result would not be available for another 24hrs (a RT-PCR test typically takes 24-48 hrs to respond), I had to assume he was positive and take the necessary precautions for inserting the breathing tube to be connected to the ventilator.

There I was, attired like a spaceman - complete with N95 mask, face shield, head cover, long-sleeved gown, plastic apron and 2 sets of gloves. 

Although the procedure took about 15mins, I was already feeling uncomfortably warm despite the ICU being A/C'd. 

I salute to the frontliners who donned similar spacesuit, and who manned the booths and cubicles, nursing critically ill patients for hours while the rest of the populace remained safe in the confines of their homes.

It was with much relief that the patient was subsequently tested negative. I slept well that night. 

😷