An ER Physician's First-hand Account

COVID-19 is not Flu

J. Michael Wilson, MD, MPH, May 6, 2020

........I don't need to hear a bunch of stats today comparing the flu to COVID. There are so many flaws in the stats that get thrown around comparing flu to COVID-19. But here is one doctor's perspective on the flu versus coronavirus.

I have taken care of COVID patients in several places and under different circumstances -- not just in New York City.

I've treated hundreds if not thousands of flu patients over the years; however:

• I've never held the hand of a young, otherwise healthy, mother as I watched her die of the flu.
• I've never once had a patient with the flu tell me about how the rest of his family died from the flu.
• I've never just stood there and watched a patient with the flu struggle to breathe and feel completely helpless, knowing there is little I can do to ease their suffering.
• I've never in my career seen so many people die from the flu in such a short period of time that they had to be buried in mass graves because there was no place to put so many bodies.
• I've never had to arrange a FaceTime call for a patient dying from the flu, so the family could say goodbye or figure out how I can wheel their bed to a glass door so their family can wave goodbye.
• I've never had an entire service of patients who had the flu, were treated and recovered, even pronounced "flu-free" and not be able to discharge them because their friends, families, homes, and support structure are afraid of them.
• I've never watched a patient with the flu struggle to breathe with oxygen saturations in the 70s and had to make myself NOT put them on a ventilator because if I did it would likely kill them.
• I've never gone to work during flu season and worried that I might catch the flu and die or that my choice of profession treating the flu would endanger my family.
• I've never endured stories of my colleagues dropping out during a shift and being put on a ventilator due to the flu.
• I have rarely had a patient with the flu that I couldn't make at least a little better.
• I've never had my world shut down completely due to the flu season coming. Conversely, I've never been terrified that increased public activity during flu season was going to kill thousands of more people (maybe I should have).
• Finally, I've never once treated a patient with the flu-like they were a walking hazmat scene, through barriers of Tyvek, respirators, goggles, and gloves. .........
• ( from Medpage Today)