Chinese Version
09-10-2021，Friday，Sunny and rainy
Today, I went to the hospital for my second annual physical exam after COVID-19. Last year, on October 29, 2020, my experience of going to the hospital for bone mineral density testing after the annual exam was still vivid: I changed my mask and washed my hands as soon as I entered the hospital that day. There were many sentries in the hospital. Each sentry asked the same set of questions: Do you have a fever or cough? Are you COVID-19 positive? Have you been exposed to people who are COVID-19 positive? Have you traveled in the past 14 days? I answered the same set of questions twice before I got my green pass sticker. I had to answer the same set of questions one more time before I was seen by the doctor.
Compared with 2020, I felt that the hospital was more relaxed in 2021. Wearing my own cloth mask, I went to the waiting room after passing one sentry post, not being asked to add a hospital mask nor wash my hands. I wore my own mask in the waiting room all the time, right before I was called by the nurse to enter the physical exam room, the receptionist used a long-handled clamp to hand me a disposable light yellow mask to wear on top of my own mask.
The nurse then called me into the examination room, washed her hands and put a pair of disposable purple gloves on her hands before she took my blood pressure, temperature, height and weight. After she finished the measurement and input the data into the computer, she said to me: “The doctor will come see you in a moment.” After a while, the doctor knocked on the door and came in. She washed her hands, put on a pair of disposable purple gloves, and started to ask me questions and examine me at the same time. The doctor suggested that I get the shingles vaccine because I am over 50.
“Herpes zoster (Hz) is a skin disease caused by varicella zoster virus infection. It is characterized by cluster blisters, often accompanied by significant neuralgia. Although the herpes zoster is not contagious, people who have not had chickenpox may get chickenpox from herpes zoster carriers.” “Chickenpox and shingles are related because they are caused by the same virus (varicella zoster virus). After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus stays dormant (inactive) in the body. It can reactivate years later and cause shingles.”
After I decided to get the vaccine, the nurse came back to vaccinate me. I sat on the high examination table and watched the nurse who dressed in a well-fitting slim iron gray uniform expertly squeeze the hand sanitizer that was fixed on the wall, rub it on her hands, then wash her hands carefully under the running water. I couldn’t help asking, “How many times do you wash your hands a day?” The nurse sighed and said, “Countless times. My hands have been washed like a 90 year old’s hands now.” When I heard it, I said, “I’m sorry to hear that. Actually I don’t mind if you didn’t wash your hands, because we all need to get some germs to enhance our immunization.” She said: “During COVID-19, we must obey the washing hands and changing gloves rules. My hands are very dry and easy to be scratched.” Then she put on a pair of purple gloves and gave me a quick shot in my left arm. Chatting with the nurse made me aware of the little sacrifices clinic nurses make for the stability of the COVID-19 situation, and I felt more gratitude towards them.