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There Is No Noise in a Covid-19 Emergency Room
Somehow I expected a pandemic to be louder
Somehow I expected a pandemic to be louder. Explosions, screaming, sirens — dramatic sounds to let everyone know that Something. Bad. Is. Happening.
But this pandemic is silent.
The streets of New York are eerily quiet. I hear the sounds of birds chirping as I make my way to work — I am a doctor in the NYU emergency department. The subways are nearly empty. I look around at the remaining passengers and note that few are wearing masks or other protective clothing. They sit quietly, almost serene.
People who are struggling to breathe do not talk. They do not make noise.
I arrive at the hospital and am again struck by the lack of noise. Gone are the crying children and loud sounds of chatter. The usual trauma, headache, and abdominal pain patients have virtually disappeared. No one who can avoid the emergency room comes here now. Only the respiratory patients come. One after another — all with the same symptoms.
“Fever and respiratory distress.”
People who are struggling to breathe do not talk. They do not make noise. Each day more of the emergency department is converted into respiratory isolation…
