I treated 20,000 COVID patients and 3 years after the lockdown, here’s how we can do better

It seems like yesterday. Three years ago he was in March 2020 and our country went into lockdown for the first time in over a century.

A terrifying move that has turned our country upside down, impacted the education of our youth, crushed our thriving economies, and ignited a mental health crisis along with rising substance abuse, violence and drug overdoses.

In 1918 the curve could not be flattened during the Spanish Flu.

FOX News poll: Majority says Biden is trying to cover up COVID-19 origins

After testing, diagnosing and treating thousands of COVID-19 patients on the frontlines of what was once the world’s COVID-19 epicenter, I am thinking: what have we learned? what have we lost? What wounds have we inflicted on ourselves, and what are the lessons worth remembering?

Most importantly, are we prepared for the future? There is still no definitive diagnosis of the origins of COVID-19, and we need to develop practical policies and protocols for pandemic emergency preparedness planning. How can the answer be yes if there is no answer to guide us? We may be in trouble again.

Knowing is very important in the consequences of future pandemics, especially in the uphill battle against inflation, supply chain disruptions, antibiotic shortages, infant formula shortages, high health insurance premiums and mass burnout of healthcare workers. It is important.

With miles of patient lines and the sudden emergence of new variants like Omicron, we’re searching for solutions, but it’s not a recurring series of events.

Thoughts about the death of my first COVID-19 patient remain with me. i will never forget him He was in his early sixties and an avid runner. He dragged his feet with his wife and nearly collapsed in my arms. He could hardly walk. he could barely breathe. He was pale and white like a ghost.

It was the ninth day of his illness. His temperature was his 103, his blood pressure had plummeted, his oxygen levels were very low and he was in his 70s and fluttering. Normal oxygen is his late 90’s. At the time, I hadn’t been tested for his COVID-19, but had an x-ray, so I ordered his x-ray of his lungs. Because I knew covid had a certain look. A chest x-ray of the lungs should normally be black except for the bones and heart.

I was immediately put on an IV to keep him hydrated and give him high-flow oxygen. He became beautiful and healthy.

But I knew I couldn’t take him off oxygen. So he told him he needed hospitalization. he obeyed. I recall him turning his head, looking at me and winking as the doctor was rolling him down the hallway on a stretcher.

I was wrong. A few days later, I called the hospital to see how things were going. No answer. When I called again the next day, my wife answered. I said

Most importantly, are we prepared for the future? There is still no definitive diagnosis of the origins of COVID-19, and we need to develop practical policies and protocols for pandemic emergency preparedness planning. How can the answer be yes if there is no answer to guide us?

There was cold silence. She couldn’t speak and she was crying on the phone. She knew right away that it was bad news. She told me he died late at night when he was put on a ventilator. I was deeply saddened. I wondered why. He had a heart condition, but like millions of other Americans, God brought him home early.

But in retrospect, it was the prolonged lockdown and social distancing that really left Americans starving. Avoiding family, friends and loved ones was perhaps one of the most negligent measures ever imposed on Americans.

Humans, especially our young people, need social connections and interaction with other people.It is an innate requirement to thrive, grow and develop. Technology use wasn’t a good enough alternative and fueled the young woman’s mental health crisis in her teens, with emergency visits skyrocketing by more than 50% for her. Our country urgently needs mental health resources. Anxiety, depression, and PTSD cannot be left unattended.

Why do you think prisoners in solitary confinement regress and become mentally unstable? Punishment defies nature. Cruel and inhumane. We sentenced America to the same punishment, but no crime was committed.

People wait in line stretching around the block to receive free at-home COVID-19 rapid test kits in Philadelphia on Monday, December 21, 2021. (AP/Matt Rourke)

Loneliness suppresses the immune system and was a dangerous harbinger of death and disease.

When the opportunity arose to respect the unknown and tolerate change, we did not rigorously oblige. We knew that innate immunity meant protection. We know that children are the lowest risk age group and should not wear masks. High-risk cohorts were found to be older and people with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and weakened immune systems.

We found that the directive had no effect and that allowing the option improved compliance. How can we know this?Having worked on the front lines and cared for more than 20,000 of his COVID-19 patients, even with mask mandates and vaccine mandates, Americans are still vulnerable to the virus. I have seen first hand how it continues to infect and spread it and some people die. However, over time, herd immunity and reinfection associated with vaccination most likely reduced the severity.

For most Americans, the collateral damage was worse than the pandemic. The intent of the mandate was to cut military personnel, losing out on top firefighters, police officers, teachers, health care providers, and even athletes who refused to bow to outdated CDC regulations.

My takeaway message: Even if you’re in the middle of a health emergency, I hope your body is in tip-top shape and more to avoid illness, trauma, or whatever illness you may suddenly have. Be present in the best possible health so that you can better prepare your face.

Be aware that if you have pre-existing medical conditions such as high blood sugar/diabetes, obesity, heart disease, or a weakened immune system, you are at higher risk for complications, regardless of age. It also applies to most diseases, such as fungal infections.

The social turmoil we faced with the spread of disease took their toll. The threat of the emergence of additional infectious agents is imminent. Then reset. Ready. Execute.

The declassification of the Department of Energy’s COVID-19 document is awaited, and the organization said it had “low confidence” that a lab leak was likely the source.

Students demonstrate during a rally calling on New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to keep schools open on Saturday, November 14, 2020. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

I completed my Army ROTC in college, and what they taught us as leaders is to be prepared to train for emergencies when a crisis strikes. Therefore, when faced with a deadly pathogen, we are prepared and ready to fight it.

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Preparation is the key to positive results. Preparation and education make success and survival even stronger.

In the meantime, CDC, FDA, and the federal government must commit to continued surveillance for emerging pathogens and prepare for another outbreak of unexplained illness. and the ability to rapidly manufacture and develop effective therapeutics.

No more learning and creating rules as you learn.

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Nothing in medicine is definitive. Science is in flux. Priority must be given to the most vulnerable. Options rather than mandates lead to better compliance and thus better prognosis.

We are a nation of resilience and strength. We have faced many challenges such as 9/11, devastating and deadly natural disasters, economic crisis and COVID-19. We will continue to thrive and persevere, but through practicality and realistic planning, not stupid one-size-fits-all solutions, we will ease the burden now and soften the impact of the next global disaster. prize.