As Mr. Jones shares the details of his symptoms, I hover near the door, wondering how to stand and where to put my hands. To him, I am a bag of plastic and cloth with a thin sliver of brown skin and eyes behind a pair of polycarbonate glasses.
I wish I had his bravery. Mr. Jones is a 66-year-old Veteran and is suffering from squamous cell carcinoma. He is receiving toxic doses of chemotherapy, and I worry about him getting COVID.
Before the COVID era, I would grab a stool, sit bedside, and open with “Which armed service were you in?” The stories that were told were heroic and humbling to say the least.
In this new era, I work my eye muscles hard to convey empathy. The mask has reduced my voice to a monotonous, barely audible drone. Loud yelling and simple words replace comforting prose. Despite this intimidating stance, the Vets I treat maintain their confidence and fearlessness during this pandemic.
While the overall case numbers in California are not as frightening as the New England area, the number of new cases has not come down yet. Our ICU numbers here have also been fortunate compared to rest of the country, but hot spots in Chula Vista, El Centro, and Tijuana could change that.
As restaurants and other businesses slowly reopen, I’m nervous, particularly when ordinances are not followed. I worry for Mr. Jones. He’s in the emergency room for weakness and fatigue. I wonder how I can get him home as quickly and safely as possible. Any trip outside his home is a wager with his life.
I worry the most about him in the community – what happens when someone not wearing a mask is an asymptomatic carrier.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), up to 80% of COVID cases may be mild or without symptoms. The young and healthy may find false confidence in their lack of symptoms and may forego wearing a mask.
But I fear Mr. Arnold could suffer collateral damage from silent spreaders.
Our early understanding was that COVID spread through droplets and that maintaining 3-6 feet of distance would be enough. However, we know that is incomplete now. Talking can generate droplets and may potentially even create aerosols that can put the virus into the air where it can linger for hours.
In addition to handwashing and social distancing, wearing a mask is an easy sartorial adjustment that we can make. Just like seatbelts and airbags work together to keep you safe in a car, a mask along with social distancing becomes an effective combination to help prevent the spread of COVID19.
While some may be brave about not wearing a mask and accept the risk of getting COVID. The calculus for Mr. Jones is more dire. We don’t wear the mask just for ourselves. It’s to prevent spread to Veterans, the elderly, and others at-risk. So, let’s honor our Veterans by donning a mask not because we are scared or think it limits our rights, but because it can help protect people like Mr. Jones.
They wore helmets and uniforms for us. The least we can do is put on a mask when we’re outside our homes in crowded places during this pandemic.