Episode 1: COVID-19 in the US & UK

Read below for our thoughts on our very first episode!

Meg:

Our first episode focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic. During these unprecedented times, there is so much unknown. We decided to talk to two professionals working in the medical field to gain insight on how they are coping with the pandemic. Dr. Divyesh Thakkar, a general practitioner in the United Kingdom, was featured in the first part of our episode. It was so interesting to listen to how the UK was working towards the full implementation of contact tracing. With this approach, they were able to limit the transmission of COVID-19 to a certain extent. As things began to re-open, the necessity for contact tracing also increased significantly.

Dr. Neena Phillip, the head of nursing at Hoboken University Medical Center here in the United States, provided insight on how the beginning of the pandemic shocked us all. With limited access to personal protective equipment, it was severely difficult for medical professionals to be working towards something there was such limited knowledge of. However, as the pandemic continued, experience grew, resulting in the adaptation of certain practices as normal. I found it really interesting listening to the different approaches these countries both took when it came to combating the virus. While the UK focused on preliminary measures to limit transmission through contact tracing, the US focused on gaining experience through practice. I think everyone was first confused as the virus began to take its course back in March. Although we have gained much knowledge on the virus itself, it is still important to ensure we are being safe through social distancing, wearing masks, and other preventative measures.

Eshaan:

During the very first episode, I learnt so much regarding COVID-19 both in the United States and the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom, I learnt that they stopped testing early and starting to rely on contact tracing. This was something I thought to be interesting because this is a new technology and this also quickly helped people know when they came in contact with a COVID-19 patient. The need for contact tracing is significantly increasing as the UK is starting to open up again. To hear about contact tracing was definitely a shock for me, as in the US we have only discussed testing and how slow it is. I think as this pandemic continues, contact tracing will be widely used amongst all countries. Things in the United States were definitely different compared to the UK.

In the United States, I learnt a lot about hospital morale and its relation to fighting the pandemic. During the beginning of the pandemic, the U.S. hospitals did not think it would have reached their shores and when it did, they felt as if they were not prepared. Dr. Neena Philip, who is the head of nursing and vice president of Patient Care at Hoboken University Medical Center, found that if the US had communicated with countries in Europe, who were 2 weeks ahead of the pandemic compared to the US, the US would have been more prepared to handle this. She also felt that in the beginning, because of the rate people were dying and getting infected, staff morale was down and staff were also constantly getting infected as well. She found that even though staff from other floors came to help, morale in general was down. To fix this, Dr. Philip and her team decided to celebrate the people who recovered from the virus instead of focusing on the people who had died. She found that this really helped staff morale and brought some light into hospital. Overall, I was able to gain so much knowledge about the virus and how hospital protocols have changed through Dr. Neena Phillip and Dr. Divyesh Thakkar and I learnt how important it is to practice social distancing as well as wear a mask!