Going to the red zone to confront the COVID-19 is brave; there are fragile limits between life and death. To return, again and again, is to follow the Hippocratic Oath to make health and the lives of sick people the first concern.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- This demonstration of love for humanity is part of the life of Dr. José Alberto Díaz Morera, a first-degree specialist in General Comprehensive Medicine and worker at the Guillermo Tejas polyclinic in the city of Las Tunas, who for seven months worked hard to stop the siege of the new coronavirus.
Talking about the fulfillment of responsibilities and love for others is part of the daily life of this young man, barely 30 years old. He has been doing it since he finished his university studies in 2016 and he will keep doing it because other people's lives are worth as much as his own; even despite his fears.
“I wanted to give my contribution in this fight of all since the pandemic began; but, rather I was involved in the Primary Care, from a medical office in the Las 40 neighborhood. But, later, my contribution was requested.”
“I have worked with different types of patients, from contacts of positive cases to suspected and confirmed, and with all of them I have different experiences because the management protocols are according to the complexity.
“You are always afraid, it is the truth. It is feared to be infected, even if you were just a little exposed; because there is always the possibility of contagion. But we try to take care of ourselves, colleagues, and family when we go back home. Nonetheless, many of us have traded our role as physicians for that of patients."
“We have all the means of protection, which provide security to work in isolation centers. However, it is difficult because we get very close to patients when they complain of different symptoms such as fever or headache. And there we are, healthcare workers, united, some younger, others more experienced, fighting together to end this disease.”
From experience and knowledge, many tips can be passed on to patients, colleagues, family members, and anyone else; all about the importance of taking extreme care to avoid contagion with the SARS-CoV-2.
“The disease doesn't just leave physical traces. It also causes psychological consequences due to the distance from the family for several days, the concern that parents, siblings, or children may have been infected... And there is the risk of death, especially when complications arise.
“I request that persons take care of themselves, that they maintain social isolation and comply with hygienic measures like the systematic handwashing; and to avoid physical contact even with their relatives because the slightest neglect can be the cause of the greatest tragedy.”
