A day at a COVID 19 Screening Clinic

Well. Today was an interesting day. Let me walk you through a day at a COVID 19 Screening Clinic. The day started at 7:30 for training. A team of incredible health care professionals met in a common area to gear up, share stories, encourage each other and make efforts to settle the inevitable anxiety we all feel about testing and treating people who may be infected with one of the most terrifying viruses this planet has ever seen. Not a small task at all but the morning gathering reminded me of the days when I was delivering babies at the Guelph General Hospital: the atmosphere of camaraderie, team work, purpose and compassion. Mostly women, all nurse practitioners and nurses, administrative folks, these are your COVID 19 warriors. These are the folks that will risk their lives for their communities, the people that will win this battle against this pandemic. People with husbands and partners and kids and mortgages and aging parents just like the rest of us. These are your COVID 19 heroes and I am humbled and honoured to be on their team on this day.

The clinic has been well planned and coordinated. It is designed to move you through with your safety and care in mind at all times. Carefully designed areas where staff are gowned and gloved and masked before seeing each patient. Each patient interaction is in a private cubicle that is pristine: questions asked, vitals taken, stories told, anxieties quelled, comfort given. Most are just reassured and sent home to self isolate like the rest of us. A few are sicker with concerning vitals signs that compel us to test and make very clear follow up plans. One or two are sent to the emergency room. A well oiled machine of a team that 5 days ago did not even exist. Did we see COVID 19 today? Maybe. Time will tell when the test results are in. Did we witness the fine execution of a health care system that is one of the best in the world? Yes, we did. Are you in good hands? Their is no doubt that you are. No doubt at all.

This team is here for you and they are ready. We were made to do this. We signed up for this. We are at our best when your lives are put in our hands and we can take the incredible skills, knowledge and training we were given and use it to take care of you under any circumstances regardless of the risk or the consequences.

A shout out to all the nurses, nurse practitioners, doctors and administrative folks across this country who have lined up to take this on. For them, please take care and do your part. Self isolation / social distancing is our social vaccine and it is the only vaccine we've got. We will suffer for a time but no enemy can beat an army like this. Sleep well tonight. We will be OK. We will triumph over this and be better people because of it. Please reach out to the vulnerable and to those who are in isolation alone. They need you.


Dr. Anne-Marie Zajdlik MD CCFP