I grew up in the era that invented the modern movie sequel-The Godfather, Jaws, Rocky, Star Wars, Alien. Sometimes these cinematic marvels told new chapters in classic stories, like Vito Corleone’s character in The Godfather II (1974), who transforms from entrepreneurial immigrant to retired crime boss grandpa, while his son Michael sheds his “nice Ivy League suit” to squash the competition in his quest to expand market share for the family business. But some sequels are less poetic masterpieces and more repetitive storylines dressed up in contemporary clothes, like Rocky IV (1985). Rocky battles Soviet Union villain Drago, tapping into the 80’s Cold War patriotism steeped in the MTV Logo Moon Landing video and Springsteen’s “Born In the USA”.
Fast forward to the COVID pandemic. I found myself in a starring role as a “healthcare hero” in the original real life catastrophe thriller, “COVID-19,” that opened in select locations in early 2020 before its release nationwide. No, I wasn’t discovered at a mall by a talent scout. I am an Emergency Medicine physician, and the villain appeared on my home turf. Channeling my inner Sigourney Weaver in Alien, I was certainly scared, yet excited to apply my training in acute care and be on the frontlines to help inform best practices. After a few scary shifts wondering if I would die, me and my colleagues- fellow doctors, nurses, paramedics, police, and firemen – remained healthy. Our region had adequate PPE, ICU beds, and ventilators. This “first release” catastrophe thriller was over. We had a better understanding of our riskiest patient population- the obese, elderly, and those with chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and COPD; many of the same patients who are vulnerable to other illnesses like sepsis, heart attacks, and strokes. While any patient death is tragic, our sickest patients usually fit this high risk profile. We didn’t see young, healthy people getting seriously ill and dying like we sometimes do during a bad Influenza season or a summer weekend of gun violence. I relished my role on the frontlines because it was the essence of what I was trained to do: handle emergencies and triage the sickest and most vulnerable. I didn’t consider myself a “hero” but a well-trained Emergency Medicine physician doing my job.
The next release, “COVID II: The Bureaucrats,” rode the wave of the initial thriller just in time for the new school year in Fall 2020. Rather than recasting the “frontline heroes” as the wise COVID experts, we were written out of the script as our knowledge and bedside experience did not fit the new storyline told by a distant bureaucracy and legacy media. The non-Zoom economy was back to work and most people, especially the young and healthy, survived COVID without hospitalization, while most patients who were hospitalized survived. A bureaucracy of overly broad testing and restrictions took hold while we in the ER went back to our usual routine. I was unaware, however, that a third big screen release was just around the corner.
Pre-COVID in 2020 I had the honor of serving as a volunteer physician on a youth group trip to Israel. When the opportunity arose again in 2022 for a February 2023 trip, I was excited to recommit. But I didn’t know “COVID III: Revenge of the Booster Shot” had been released in select areas. The trip’s organizers decided everyone needed proof of 3 shots regardless of timing, based on the CDC’s guidance. I had only received the two-vaccination sequence in the first wave of vaccines in 2020/2021. My workplace never required additional shots, and I opted out as I am at low risk for serious disease and there is a lack of data showing repeated boosters extended immunity to reduce severe disease or prevent transmission.
Unfortunately, the organizers didn’t feel comfortable making an exception for someone who didn’t get a third shot because their script read: “We are keeping people safe.” The script was certainly dramatic, but the logic didn’t make sense. Even if I had a third dose, say in 2021, how would that confer immunity for the February 2023 trip? I was allowed to work in Emergency Departments treating patients without a third jab but deemed unfit to chaperone a trip? Given the shock of Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest on television in January 2023, one would think that my acute care skills, including CPR, would be welcomed by parents sending their kids overseas. Unfortunately, an evidence-based plot line doesn’t give quite the same thrill as COVID theater. The third installment of the COVID trilogy promotes boosters over specialized emergency medicine skills. Rather than receive an unnecessary vaccine to attend the trip, I relinquished my seat. I went from COVID “hero” to heretic.
I hear COVID IV: The Saga of Long COVID and Its Billing Codes is set for release soon.
Our 23 year old granddaughter is an RN who work in the ICU and she came down with covid and survived. When her blood was tested her antibodies were high. She refused to get the vaccine and along with several of her RN coworkers was fired. Her protection against the virus was as high or higher than someone who got the shot.
The beaurocrats who fired her and several other nurses were firing them while at the same time whining that they didn't have enough nurses.
Mass hysteria almost always leads to tyranny and that is what happened during the epidemic.