Photo by Graham Ruttan // Unsplash
As the current COVID-19 climate evolves, restrictions are often changing along with it. The province of Ontario has put together five separate health zones to protect against the transmission of the virus and most importantly prevent the death toll from rising.
However, since the beginning of the global pandemic one thing has stayed consistent. Protecting those who are high risk.
Photo // Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
Although the term high-risk can seem broad, the Canadian government has listed most pre existing medical conditions as included (a more in depth guide can be found here).
While London Health Sciences Centre has been doing whatever they can since the beginning of the global pandemic to keep patients and staff safe, the line between elective and urgent has left some high risk folk at a loss.
*Disclaimer: When asked to comment on what deems cases elective VS. urgent within LHSC, a communications consultant for LHSC commented that they are denying interviews as the COVID-19 response continues to evolve*
“Effective March 17, elective surgical cases will be postponed, and only urgent and emergency surgeries will proceed for the safety of our staff and physicians, and other patients. This will also increase our clinical capacity and pandemic responsiveness. Clinical and physician leaders are working in partnership to plan for the reductions.”
Brooke Boersen is a recent graduate of the Master of Public Health program at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. She has been battling breast cancer for nearly two years, receiving the bulk of her treatment during the pandemic.
Describing appointments to see her Oncologist during the pandemic as eerie. Sitting in the waiting room alone without friends or family and very limited chairs.
Fortunately for the recent graduate, she finished chemotherapy just before major outbreaks. However, she says that even some of her treatments had been cancelled due to the coronavirus well before things had escalated.
“I missed quite a few of my treatments back in March because everything was really cut back,” she said.
Boersens own experience in public health made her really wonder how others were being affected. How were their treatment plans being resolved, she asked herself. What was going to happen to people that were considered the highest of risk?
“It was scary to think about how others were being affected, when you know, I was being affected how I was. But, ultimately it was all outside of my control.”
Becoming a mom during a pandemic
For Adelle Speziale, becoming a new mom during a pandemic was not what she had in mind.
“It gave me a little bit of anxiety. I was lucky enough to have a pretty easy-going pregnancy, but I couldn’t imagine having a complication at any point and not having that support there.”
Speziale says although she had no idea what to expect in general as a new mom, the one thing she did expect was to have her husband by her side throughout the experience.
Photo by Christian Bowen // Unsplash
The hospital had shifted 50 percent of Speziales appointments to over the phone until closer to her due date. As for any appointments in person, her husband was not allowed to attend until she was in the delivery room.
“The protocol that was described to me included my husband waiting until I was confirmed in labor before he could come into the hospital with me.”
Nervously laughing Speziale explained,
“As a first time mom ready to deliver, you can assume how nerve wracking that would be!”
Although the pregnancy was far from a normal experience due to the pandemic, the mother to a healthy three month old says that she felt very supported throughout the process by all of the staff involved.
Little access to needed treatment
For Donna Van Beers, her experience with receiving medical treatment during a pandemic is slightly different. Van Beers is a mother of three, her youngest being 15.
She describes herself as someone who has a good understanding of healthcare as she has been in the field for nearly 30 years.
“All three of my children have had asthma at some point in their lives and two of which have developed chronic cases due to allergies.”
The mom of three says, her youngest has missed nearly 20 days of school this year because of his asthma symptoms being mistaken as the virus.
“I live in a small rural community where immediate health care is not near by. Our family physician is about a 45 minute drive. So when his asthma flares up and he cannot attend school because his cough could indicate the virus, it’s frustrating.”
Van Beers says nearly a year ago she requested a Pulmonary Function Test for her son out of concern that his asthma was rather nasty for his age and level of activity, however; she was denied because of his young age.
The healthcare professional says when she most recently had to take her son to the nearest Emergency Room for a severe lasting asthma attack, the outcome was not what she had expected.
“I originally tried to call our family physician but was told they were not taking in-person appointments, which is understandable. The ER wanted him to test for COVID-19, so I asked if they could preform a test and they said we would have to make an appointment elsewhere,” she said with frustration. “The problem being, the closest testing centre for non-health worker patients is about an hour away, and appointments are far and few between.”
Photo by Mufid Majnun // Unsplash
Van Beers ended up asking for a prescription for a steroid inhaler to get her son through the next few days while they wait for a COVID-19 test appointment. The doctor offered a specialist referral for a pulmonary function test instead.
“I told them at this point, it didn’t make sense. The wait list for something lung related when you’re not considered high risk could be over two years. The pandemic cancelled so many appointments, with the nearest appointments going to who absolutely need the test.”
The mom of three says that she understands why the system is the way it is, however; it’s frustrating when her asthmatic son is required to constantly take COVID-19 tests to be able to attend school, for something that is just a part of his life.
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