A Chicago cardiologist started experiencing symptoms of the CCP virus after working on the front lines of the global pandemic. The doctor, however, proceeded to beat the disease and is now being lauded as a hero for returning to work to continue saving lives.
In mid-March 2020, a sick patient arrived at Community First Medical Center in Chicago displaying symptoms of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, as reported by ABC 7. “The person was coughing and short of breath,” cardiologist Dr. Khachig Ishkhan explained. “Me and multiple nurses and respiratory therapists and pulmonary therapists were exposed to that patient.”
However, at that time, neither adequate personal protective equipment nor virus testing kits were widely available. Dr. Ishkhan, who has been a medical practitioner for over 20 years, continued working 12-hour shifts and remained on call every day of the week. However, in the last week of March, he himself came down with a headache and other mild symptoms indicative of potential infection.
Dr. Ishkhan was then tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies. The doctor reflected that, especially in the case of asymptomatic patients, medical personnel are often unsure whether or not they are carriers of the virus.
“Are we carriers, are we infectious?” the doctor considered, adding, “So yes, it’s scary.”
Dr. Ishkhan made the decision to return to work after overcoming his own symptoms, concluding that the antibodies in his system had placed him in a position of strength compared to colleagues who had not yet been exposed.
The doctor admitted, however, that life on the front lines was increasingly tiring owing to an overwhelming influx of patients at Chicago’s Community First Medical Center.
“My job is tiring,” the cardiologist explained, “so I don’t know if it is because of the the [sic] virus itself or my job.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized that healthcare workers on the front lines of the outbreak response are exposed to numerous hazards that put them at risk of infection, such as pathogen exposure, long working hours, psychological stress, fatigue, burnout, and even outbursts of emotional or physical violence.
The use of appropriate personal protective equipment, correct sanitation, and a supportive management structure remain paramount, says the WHO, if front line healthcare workers’ safety is to be protected.
According to ABC 7, in addition to returning to work, Dr. Ishkhan also pledged to donate blood to be used in convalescent plasma therapy for other CCP virus patients. Convalescent plasma is the liquid component of blood containing antibodies that can be taken from patients who have recovered from a viral infection.
Under FDA guidelines, a patient is eligible to become a plasma donor in the fight against the CCP virus so long as they have had a documented positive diagnosis and remain asymptomatic for a minimum of 14 days post-recovery.
“You know, as a doctor or a nurse we always have to take care of the patient first,” Dr. Ishkhan said. “Without thinking about anything else, that is our duty. That is the oath that we took.”