Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

I am an ER doctor on the frontlines of the COVID-19 fight but I am counting my blessings

Shane Sobrio, MD
Conditions
March 29, 2020
Share
Tweet
Share

What a time to be alive. What a time to be a new emergency room doctor. Ten months into a hopefully long career and already facing the healthcare battle of my life. I’m in my early 30s. Not exactly the highest risk age group when it comes to the novel coronavirus. But make no mistake, people my age have died and likely will continue to. Being 100 percent honest, I often feel terrified.

This country is in a much different place than it was a few short months ago. It’s obvious to see how things have changed by just walking outside. My commute to work that normally took 20 minutes now takes 6, thanks to essentially no traffic. All of the day to day activities I took for granted are no longer available to me as they once were. The world is at a standstill, and the U.S. economy has followed suit.

People are scared right now. Many are fearful of contracting the virus, but just as many are fearful about their economic security and making ends meet. I have received many phone calls and text messages from family and friends asking if they should be afraid of the virus, but I have received just as many calls asking how long this is expected to last. “When do you think I’ll be able to go back to work?” for many people, is just as important of a question as “Will I get sick?”

Thousands of more people will likely die from the novel coronavirus, but how many more may die from losing their jobs? Their paychecks? Their health insurance? Less than the virus itself? Or more? I still remember the quote from the Hollywood blockbuster The Big Short, where Brad Pitt says, “for every 1 percent that unemployment goes up, 40,000 people die.” This is likely a fictionalized number, but it is based on statistics on diseases like heart attacks, strokes, suicides, and more and how they appear to increase substantially when people are stressed and worried about their future during a recession. For every person that dies prematurely secondary to a recession, how many more will get divorced? How many children will suffer trauma from financial or food insecurity? The consequences are far-reaching.

Do I worry about getting sick? Of course, but I don’t worry much about dying or losing my livelihood from this situation. I currently belong to a group of people with the best job security in the world. No matter what happens, my paycheck will continue to direct deposit. My wife and baby will still have money for food and rent. Many people don’t have that same security.

So where can we go from here? The stimulus package unanimously approved by the senate was a great step in the right direction. I think we are on the right path to slowing the spread and gaining control of the situation. If you have excess supplies like N95 masks, maybe consider donating them to a hospital, as we are running out quickly across the country. Do your best not to hoard everyday supplies like toilet paper or cleaners. But most of all, try and remember how many people are suffering in other ways at this time and find ways to support them if possible. Call and check up on friends and family, shop at a small business, order food from an independent restaurant. We are all in this mess together and will all get through it together. For now, I’m personally counting my blessings.

Shane Sobrio is an emergency medicine resident.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

The frontlines become the football field during Ramadan

March 29, 2020 Kevin 0
…
Next

COVID-19: Time is the one thing we can never get back

March 29, 2020 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: COVID, Infectious Disease

Post navigation

< Previous Post
The frontlines become the football field during Ramadan
Next Post >
COVID-19: Time is the one thing we can never get back

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Shane Sobrio, MD

  • Today’s divisive political climate and our ability to treat our patients without bias

    Shane Sobrio, MD

Related Posts

  • Physicians fight from the social media frontlines

    Neha Pidatala, MD
  • Finding happiness in the time of COVID

    Anonymous
  • Birthing in the era of COVID

    Jennifer Roelands, MD
  • How to get patients vaccinated against COVID-19 [PODCAST]

    The Podcast by KevinMD
  • COVID-19 divides and conquers

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • The ethics of rationing care during COVID

    M. Bennet Broner, PhD

More in Conditions

  • 5 cancer myths that could delay your diagnosis or treatment

    Joseph Alvarnas, MD
  • When bleeding disorders meet IVF: Navigating von Willebrand disease in fertility treatment

    Oluyemisi Famuyiwa, MD
  • What one diagnosis can change: the movement to make dining safer

    Lianne Mandelbaum, PT
  • How kindness in disguise is holding women back in academic medicine

    Sylk Sotto, EdD, MPS, MBA
  • Measles is back: Why vaccination is more vital than ever

    American College of Physicians
  • Hope is the lifeline: a deeper look into transplant care

    Judith Eguzoikpe, MD, MPH
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
    • The hidden cost of becoming a doctor: a South Asian perspective

      Momeina Aslam | Education
    • Closing the gap in respiratory care: How robotics can expand access in underserved communities

      Evgeny Ignatov, MD, RRT | Tech
    • Why fixing health care’s data quality is crucial for AI success [PODCAST]

      Jay Anders, MD | Podcast
    • Reclaiming trust in online health advice [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why fixing health care’s data quality is crucial for AI success [PODCAST]

      Jay Anders, MD | Podcast
    • Why so many physicians struggle to feel proud—even when they should

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • If I had to choose: Choosing the patient over the protocol

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • How a TV drama exposed the hidden grief of doctors

      Lauren Weintraub, MD | Physician
    • Why adults need to rediscover the power of play

      Anthony Fleg, MD | Physician
    • How collaboration across medical disciplines and patient advocacy cured a rare disease [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
    • The hidden cost of becoming a doctor: a South Asian perspective

      Momeina Aslam | Education
    • Closing the gap in respiratory care: How robotics can expand access in underserved communities

      Evgeny Ignatov, MD, RRT | Tech
    • Why fixing health care’s data quality is crucial for AI success [PODCAST]

      Jay Anders, MD | Podcast
    • Reclaiming trust in online health advice [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why fixing health care’s data quality is crucial for AI success [PODCAST]

      Jay Anders, MD | Podcast
    • Why so many physicians struggle to feel proud—even when they should

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • If I had to choose: Choosing the patient over the protocol

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • How a TV drama exposed the hidden grief of doctors

      Lauren Weintraub, MD | Physician
    • Why adults need to rediscover the power of play

      Anthony Fleg, MD | Physician
    • How collaboration across medical disciplines and patient advocacy cured a rare disease [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...