Short Stories

Covid 19

While many deaths in the United States are often due to old age and medical issues, the most recent mass killer has been the COVID-19 pandemic. Between the years of 2019 through 2022, COVID 19 has been responsible for over 1.05 million deaths in the United States, according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (. During the height of the pandemic, many lives were lost because there were not many treatments and many people were accidentally spreading it. This led to many places like hospitals, treatment tents, and even ships being labeled as quarantine locations where only the sick and the medical staff could reside.While COVID-19 affected the majority of people with pre-existing conditions and the elderly, it also affected every person. There were no treatment options and there were many people who died because they could not receive the medical care they needed. Surgeries and life saving treatment options were often canceled in order to focus efforts on treating COVID-19 patients and ending the global pandemic. This affected everyone as no one was immune or safe from the disease. This also led to complete shut downs and very limited options to seek medical assistance and receive basic needs like food and shelter along with spiritual needs. While this did assist in slowing the spread of COVID-19 and its multitude of variants, it also left many people struggling to make ends meet and gave rise to mental health issues. There were and still are many changes especially around access and visitations in hospitals that have yet to change because of the pandemic.

COVID-19 pandemic changed how and who was allowed to visit patients. Many families were not able to visit their loved ones, especially while they were in the death state or in the process of dying. Many hospitals around the United States had similar practices and policies that help limit the spread of COVID but also prevent the spread and cross contamination of illness. This generally has influenced ongoing policies and procedures within the hospital. According to the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 65 out of 70 hospitals had very strict policies against visitors. 49 out of the 65 had a no visitor policy which made it almost to nearly impossible to see a loved one while they were undergoing treatment for either COVID-19 or were in the hospital for general treatment. There were many individual isolations and over sanitization that led to both physical, social, religious, and emotional separation. The other 16 hospitals had a one person only limit. This meant that only one person was allowed to see the person within the hospital for the entire day. This created many issues when deciding on whether the religious leader (pastor, priest, rabbi, imman, or other) was the person to see versus the family. Many last rites can only be performed either by the religious leader or in their presence. 1. While working hard to prevent the spread of Covid-19, hospital staff often faced backlash. Backlash from family members not being able to say good-bye, conduct last rites and rituals that were necessary by the person and family religious practices. Some hospitals made exceptions to these policies to be more flexible once the height of the pandemic scaling down. When possible, rituals were being held virtually or through bending many hospital rules. Hospitals for the most part have now reinstated faith visits to help ease patients and their families. The majority of COVID-19 related deaths and deaths with the peak integrals of the pandemic were not good deaths as there were limited treatments, no families or friends were present, religious rites and rituals for end of life care were not performed, and patients were in an overall alien and foreign environment. There was no personal contact between staff and patient in order to limit the spread. Almost all who were in the hospital were considered COVID-19 related patients and had limited access to the world outside their room or outside the hospital. To avoid lost rites and being stuck in a foreign place like a COVID-19 hospital or avoid COVID-19, many people avoided the hospital, and many died from treatable illnesses or health complications. Hospitals still operate under the masking policies and the limited visitor policies to continue to prevent the spread of disease.

Currently, there are three major forms of vaccination, Johnson and Johnson, Moderna, and Pfizer. These vaccines are delivered intramuscularly and work to protect and limit the person from contracting some of the COVID-19 variants. The vaccines also work to limit the side effects of COVID-19. Recently, many have questioned the reliability and overall performance of the COVID-19 vaccines and the vaccine mandate. As all vaccines, there is only so much a vaccine can do to prevent a selected scope of illness. Some vaccines need to be modified and disbursed differently. For example, chickenpox vaccine is given in two doses to a very small child, often when they are infants but the flu shot is modified every year and is one dose. The chicken pox shot is very reliable and is effective in preventing developing chickenpox but the flu shot prevents and lessens symptoms. Medicine is not a one size fits all and based on life and risk, may not be as successful in preventing illness Vaccines are just shields for the body to help prevent damage.  

The vaccine is safe but is not for everyone. Science and healthcare will tell us any side effects in the future.