Dr. Asaig from Shaare Zedek was hospitalized at the hospital where he works • Dr. Sarig and his wife contracted one after the other • Dr. King felt tired and then found that he was positive • And Captain Dr. Amster is still dealing with the corona damage • The Doctors at the Front • Special
Shaare Zedek Hospital
Photography:
Oren Ben Hakon
The struggle in Corona: The
plague that the whole world is facing has turned the doctors in the hospitals into soldiers who are at the forefront of the battle.
The health care system is waging a stubborn and ongoing battle against the spread of the virus and the serious illness in hospitals, but sometimes even the doctors who treat corona patients become infected with the virus.
"It is still not clear how I became infected" - Dr. Yinon Sarig, Boarding School C - Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital
Dr. Yinon Sarig, 34, knows from his work as an intern in the third ward at Hadassah Ein Kerem, the treatment of complex and difficult patients. The
two years he worked as a doctor at the boarding school did not prepare him for the even more complex treatment of
coronary heart
disease. "These are days when uncertainty was great and we had to learn to treat patients who come to us with a new and unfamiliar disease."
The period of activity in the department was accompanied by a large load, with waves of calm, followed by busy departments again. "
After months of strenuous work, Dr. Sarig discovered that he too had contracted the corona virus: “Last October, during the holidays, I had a day of back pain and coughing, not something serious, but definitely a signal.
I was tested on the same day as part of routine tests performed at Hadassah for all the teams, and I was found to be positive. "
Dr. Sarig notes: “I am not sure as to the cause of the infection, I thought it was related to resuscitation performed a week earlier, but I am not sure.
My wife also turned out to be positive later on, and we are at home with the two children. "Dr. Sarig passed the corona lightly and after that he returned to treat the patients in the corona wards as well as the internal medicine ward.
He concludes: "I chose to specialize in internal medicine because I am drawn to the in-depth and extensive treatment of the patient. I wish all of us to return to our maternal wards soon, when the epidemic is over. Until then I am still here, fighting with everyone."
"I felt death in front of me" - Dr. Yaakov Asaig, director of the delay department - Shaare Zedek
Dr. Yaakov Asaig, 47, a specialist in internal medicine, director of the residency department at Shaare Zedek Medical Center and a physician at Meuhedet, became a therapist and patient this year when she fell ill in Corona and was hospitalized for 12 days in the crown ward at Shaare Zedek.
"I felt death in front of me within seconds on several occasions in this hospitalization," he recounts.
Asaig, a father of nine, was in the first wave of the corona from the first doctors to treat patients who were suspected of being infected with the corona.
Precisely in July he contracted.
"I told all my friends at the beginning of the plague that we were young people and if we caught Corona it would probably be a mild illness. I thought that if I got infected I would not get into a difficult situation," he says.
But six days later at home the level of oxygen saturation in Dr. Asaig's blood dropped and he was rushed to hospital in the corona ward at the hospital where he works.
"On Saturday I was among the healthy in the ward and did a kiddush, the next day I had difficulty walking without oxygen, and on Saturday night I could barely tell the difference. There were times when my stature dropped to 70 and as an intern I already thought I would soon have cardiac arrest and resuscitation. The soul and anesthesia. "
Today, having recovered, he continues to care for Corona patients.
"I could not understand without going through the disease what the patients are going through," he explains, "experiencing the feeling of suffocation they are experiencing."
In conclusion, he calls on his fellow doctors: "To continue this war in which we are the soldiers."
"Infection - Punch in the Face" - Dr. Daniel King, Director of the Corona Department - Meir Hospital
The last year is described by the director of the corona department at Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba, Dr. Daniel King, in one word - "chaotic".
"It's hard to say that this year is a scenario I could have prepared for," he says, "it's a challenging year with difficult moments but also quite a few successes and good feelings that have given a boost to keep going."
"There is a need to know how to filter and manage the huge flow of information and translate it into the best care for our patients," he said.
When did you get the virus?
"It was Passover eve," says Dr. King, "I was terribly tired all day but I said to myself, 'Still a whole month I've been working hard, no wonder.'
I made charoset with the kids and went to bed.
I got up in the morning and said to myself, 'I'm still tired,' but I thought to myself that tomorrow is a holiday and you can get up late.
I slept most of the day and then when I saw that on the eve of the holiday I was not like yesterday and the day before yesterday I did the test.
The next day, the director of the Infection Prevention Unit called and said that I was positive. "
The infection in Corona is described by Dr. King as "a feeling of punch in the face". He adds that he feels "failure and a lot of stress and worry for the family.
After two weeks I became negative.
It took me a few weeks to get back to myself. "
On the risk in the profession, he adds that "there is a risk of contracting corona and other infectious diseases."
Dr. King concludes that “this year is a year of war, and as in war there are voids.
Everyone who practices medicine fights for life. "
"The Medical Corps has demonstrated creativity" - Captain Dr. Keren Amster, clinic commander in the Kirya
Capt. Dr. Keren Amster (31 years old), a resident of Tel Aviv, the headquarters of the clinic for conscripts in the Kirya, contracted the corona virus herself, creation - and continues to help IDF soldiers.
“This year, 2020, has been very challenging,” says Captain Dr. Amster, “We have encountered a variety of cases for treatment but the corps has worked well.
It was a year in which the corps showed significant and creative abilities.
It was a special year. "
Captain Dr. Amster is a graduate of the medical reserve track. She began her service in February 2016, served as a physician in field units, such as combat collection and artillery, and for the past year and a half has been a conscript physician. Last August she began her role as a clinic commander.
She contracted corona at the beginning of the second wave, apparently from a staff member infected by a patient.
"The disease was relatively mild for me, but it sharpened me because despite the great care the danger still exists and the guidelines must be tightened and maintained," she emphasizes, "the remaining symptoms are mostly fatigue and the sense of taste has not yet fully returned."
What is the message to the public?
"Despite all the conditions and protections we were required to follow, we were infected - and this proves how important it is for the entire population to adhere to the guidelines," says Captain Dr. Amster. The professional risk, she said, exists, but all the guidelines are adhered to.
"I have been in the army for five years and am very proud to serve," she concludes, "I feel a sense of mission."