Letter From the Front Lines of New York State

Hello friends,

Just a quick update so you all know I am okay. Things are moving along in NY. First off, here's the important update: Acer rubrum had finished it's early spring flowering and has begun to set fruit. Magnolia × soulangeana is putting on it's amazing annual show, peaking here 2 weeks behind their Virginia siblings. Narcissus are everywhere and the early tulips are popping. Cercis blooms have still not erupted but Prunus and Pyrus are at peak bloom. So, all proceeding apace. The beautiful renewal of spring has come despite the human world seeming to fall to pieces.

Personally, I'm feeling good, staying rested and fed. Yesterday, I drove out through the Hamptons and saw beautiful Montauk. You will all be reassured - I can confirm the NY billionaires appear safely tucked away in the 9 million dollar oceanside mansions with their Bentley SUVs parked out front, intact and shiny as ever. The daily deliveries of french wine, spanish cheeses and fresh toasted paninis does not appear to have stopped as all the high-end charcuterie have signs announcing home delivery, phew. 

Back on earth, hospitalizations have clearly peaked, as have new intubations. Nursing and clinical staff levels are approaching par. There remains intermittent, critical shortage of supplies. As one missing item becomes available, others run short. Monday, we ran out of non-sterile gloves and called for more. Central supply said that's all we get until tomorrow. So everyone got a pair of sterile gloves to last the rest of their shift. Wasteful but better than nothing. No one should have to work in a covid ICU without gloves. There is a lot of make-shift protective gear being used. Everyone is wearing a different kind of N95. Masks are from hardware stores, ski googles from the garage and hair nets from salons are commonplace. People use whatever they can find.

Someone told me about a room where they have PPE set aside for doctors. I went down to ask if they have any hairnets. It was just one guy sitting behind a table covered in reusable cloth gowns. Not surprisingly, that's the one item we've never run low on. There's always plenty of wrinkled, tiny yellow gowns. (See -Farley, Chris "Fat guy in a Little Coat") I asked if he ever gets anything else and he just shook his head slowly, with a mournful look. "But we have plenty of these gowns if you want one!"  (Many of you have offered to sent things up, which I appreciate greatly. Thank you. For now, I am okay. I reuse my personal PPE on a rotation, after letting it rest for five days).

From our clinical team, there is the usual parade of successes and failures. We had another extubation this morning. A 41 year old, previous healthy man, who had been intubated since 4/6. His kidneys have failed and he will likely need long-term dialysis but he is breathing on his own, awake and alert. And no deaths for three straight days!. (Well, not really... two people died on our service yesterday but I was off so...)

Today we started our first trials of convalescent serum. People who have fully recovered from Covid-19 have donated serum that we will now give to those who are sick. The hope is that the antibodies present will slow or stop the disease. The first patient in the hospital to receive it is one of ours, a 43 year old male intubated since 4/10.  We are very hopeful it will change the course of things. I'll let you know. Thank you so much for your well-wishes and for keeping in touch. I love you,

Jordan