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COVID-19 UPDATE

pairing her ability to function. She did not know at what threshold
she should seek medical care, but described feeling like a “walking
zombie.” She thanked me deeply for caring and addressing her change
in condition, and I escalated her care to our infectious disease special-
ist for further medical evaluation and management. Working with this
patient reminds me of the privilege we have as medical professionals
to help patients feel seen and be heard. This conversation also under-
scores that simple actions such as phone check-ins can play important
roles in good medical care. As physicians, we must recognize that sick-
ness can equate to lost work time, medical bills and sizable inconven-
ience. And thus sometimes, we need to expressly give our patients the
encouragement to pursue their health and to remind them that their
well-being has immeasurable worth.
While virtual meetings are not typically a medical professional’s
ideal for the health care experience, the pandemic has motivated a
vivid response for the health care system and the provider as an indi-
vidual to both embrace and evolve telehealth. I am also optimistic that
our critical use of telehealth now will help improve the accessibility
of health care for patients in the future, so that when in-person visits
are safe enough to be the default, we will have bridged many gaps that
existed before COVID-19. It is my hope that our system and its cli-
tual Outpatient Team has been a meaningful way to learn about nicians will be better trained, informed and prepared to apply tele-
COVID-19 with an epidemiological perspective. I also enjoyed per- health not as the default, but as an option for individuals and
sonally reaching out to those affected by COVID-19 on the commu- communities who were previously underserved. In the post-COVID-
nity level. Listening to patients, answering their questions and showing 19 era, which we are pursuing with hope and motivation, how will
them we cared by closely following up until patients returned to their health care be changed? Step-by-step, how are we approaching and
baseline or felt comfortable was incredibly valuable for our clinical ed- seeing the question differently because of the environment we are em-
ucation. Moreover, I enjoyed developing the ability to host quality, ef- bracing and responding to?
fective virtual visits and establishing rapport and trust with the patient When I repeat the question again, “How will we care for patients
on the other side of the phone line. today?” how do we answer? We will probably make more phone calls
In the fall of 2020, a time marked with a great deal of COVID-19 to patients than usual, we will sanitize our hands and instruments
cases, hospitalizations and deaths, testing positive for COVID-19 was more than we ever thought to in the past and we will intentionally
a distinctly vulnerable and frightening experience. In the voices of our find new ways to connect with patients through the phone or through
patients diagnosed with COVID-19, I heard a range of human emo- the mask. When we answer the question, “How will we care for pa-
tions, understandably weighted by confusion, frustration and fear. Our tients today?” I think the context looks different, textured by the pan-
telemedicine calls were also met with great gratitude, as they provided demic, but the answer is the same as it always was. We will stay true to
patients the chance to discuss specifics of their illness course and re- the heart of medicine and answer by serving the human person placed
ceive reliable information based on current medical recommendations. in our care in whatever ways we can offer. For as long as the fire burns,
Patients inquired most about their symptoms, expected recovery and as long as the world turns, we are here and that means one thing: we
ability to safely return to loved ones and work after quarantine. are caring for you today.
At times, however, people needed connection with additional med-
ical care. I remember calling to check in on a woman who had been Emily Sherry is a Medical Student at the Long School of
diagnosed with COVID-19 two months earlier. Initially, I expected Medicine, UT Health San Antonio, Class of 2022.
her to respond with a recovery story, but quickly learned she had per-
sistent and worsening COVID-19 symptoms that week that were im-

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