The coronavirus scares him.
Spencer wrote that he starts his day like many other workers by brewing a big pot of coffee because the coffee shops near the hospital are closed.
It ends with him taking his clothes off in the hallway of his apartment, avoiding his toddler until he can run to get a shower to “rinse it all away” before getting some family time for the first time in days.
The hours in between are filled with case after case of coronavirus, beginning when he walked into the ER at 8 a.m.
He writes that he is told about a patient who is receiving the maximum amount of oxygen but is still breathing fast.
He describes having “a long and honest discussion” with the patient and her family — who are on the phone — that she needs to go on life support before things get worse.
Afraid to take off his mask
“Stat notification: Very sick patient, short of breath, fever. Oxygen 88%.
Stat notification: Low blood pressure, short of breath, low oxygen.
Stat notification: Low oxygen, can’t breath. Fever.”
At some point, he realizes that it’s the afternoon and he hasn’t drank any water.
Spencer eventually gets something to eat in the hospital cafeteria which is thankfully still open. He washed his hands twice, cautiously took off his mask and eats as fast as he can before rushing back to work.
When his shift finally ends, Spencer cleans everything he has before he leaves the hospital to walk home.
Spencer says he feels” naked and exposed” as he walks down the deserted streets without a mask.
Social distancing is ‘the only thing that will save us’
As bad as the day was, Spencer expects it to get worse.
Spencer wrote that it’s too late to stop the virus, but its spread can be slowed because “the virus can’t infect those it never meets.”
He ended the thread with a plea for people to take the pandemic seriously.
“You might hear people saying it isn’t real. It is.
You might hear people saying it isn’t bad. It is.
You might hear people saying it can’t take you down. It can.
I survived Ebola. I fear #COVIDー19.
Do your part. Stay home. Stay safe.