Surprising Consequences of the COVID Pandemic

Hello readers! I know it's been a while since I posted. I've been very busy writing my thesis (which I submitted Friday - YAY!), and will be defending soon. I thank you for your patience with me as finish up my masters degree.

I want to talk a bit about the less obvious difficulties people are facing during this pandemic. Namely, access to health care.

About a week ago, I started feeling like I was coming down with something - a tingle in my throat was making it really difficult to speak. I'd had symptoms like this before, usually caused by Strep Throat, so I called my usual doctor's office and requested an appointment to get a throat swab. However, because of regulations during the pandemic, I couldn't go in to see her while I was feeling ill without a negative COVID test!

Instead, she suggested I go to an urgent care center so I could get tested for Strep and COVID all in one go. I looked up the wait time for the clinic - 1.5 hours - and thought that wasn't too bad.

However, I ended up waiting for FOUR hours to see a doctor.

Patients who were just getting COVID tests were in an out much quicker than I, but because I needed to see a doctor for my throat, I had to wait a long time.

I regularly checked in with the staff trying to understand why I had to wait so long. I explained that I couldn't see my own doctor because of COVID regulations and that's why I ended up there. I told them I felt really sick and wanted to go home

They responded that everyone else in the city was there too because they also couldn't see their own doctors.

I couldn't believe how much this pandemic was affecting people's ability to access health care! I know some procedures were cancelled near the start of this pandemic, mine included, but it's been 14 months!

It's time we end this pandemic once and for all. Not just for the normalcy of going to work, seeing our friends and family, and travelling ... but to be able to access basic needs like healthcare!

Wear a mask. Stay home if you're sick. And most importantly...

GET VACCINATED!