Coronavirus, your deadly rampage is almost over

At the onset of the pandemic, I was excited: a new virus, a new infection, a new diagnosis, experimental treatments. I was excited about the prospect of all the research and new work.

But fear quickly cast doubt.

What is this disease? How does it affect the immune system? How will his patients be treated?

My bosses wanted me to put together a treatment protocol, but I had no idea where to get the information.

With novel disease, there are no experts. And this time there were just a few basic tips from Chinese doctors on Zoom calls.

I found myself treating patients against the most basic rule taught to medical students and young doctors: always use research-based treatment.

I found myself using Twitter and WhatsApp messages from overseas colleagues talking about their experience in treating coronavirus, which was virtually nothing more than a hearsay.

But what can you do when you are left with no choice and people die in your arms?

There was also a constant concern for the medical staff. All employees with infection contributed to the sense of failure. Could we have done more to prevent this?

Several months later became the “infodemic.” More than 70,000 articles, paper and data sheets were produced and reading even the most of them was an impossible task for man.

We didn’t even have time to recover from the first wave when the next one was already starting.

Again, we had new questions: Why had no one coordinated the epidemiological studies? Why didn’t we have enough test equipment? Why wasn’t there a central group to lead everything? Who was to blame – the government, the prime minister, me?

I felt a terrible sense of frustration and frustration.

You are telling yourself that everything will be fine. People better obey public health orders and locking down does the trick. This time we will open slower and more carefully. But no, the same mistakes were made over and over again.

I feel a laugh when I find myself arguing with scientists and fellow doctors that coronavirus is a terrible disease and is not at all like the flu, or that we should not allow people to be infected to gain high immunity.

I always strive to find treatment solutions, a research paper of some sort that will help patients, find the pathogen as soon as possible and even now, almost a year later, try to find out what this disease is even.

Now a new type of patient has arrived, the post-coronavirus type. They reach clinics tired and exhausted, struggling to breathe. Some have even been hospitalized for all sorts of ailments.

I feel like the virus is always waiting around the corner for me to slip up.

I will never understand where I found the strength to work around the clock, but the unknown dangers of the disease led me to read on, do more research, work and study.

On Sunday, my dream came true when I received the vaccine.

Coronavirus, my old friend, your time is up!

Your proteins will no longer be attached to our cells. Go find other guests and leave us in peace without new mutations or tricks. You’ve felt your presence enough.

Dr. Galia Rahav is Head of the Infectious Diseases Unit and Laboratories at Sheba Medical Center