Opinion: Abandoned by U.S. leaders, the only Covid-19 protection I can count on in my emergency department is trust
I step through the sliding glass doors of my hospital’s emergency department and immediately look for the paper bag with my name scribbled on the outside. It contains my previously used surgical mask. I put it on, breathe deeply, and wrinkle my nose at the smell. It’s a stale, tired scent, unrecognizable and unpleasant.
Hellos from the triage nurses behind makeshift plexiglass distract me from the smell. I greet the other docs, nurses, physician assistants, techs, unit secretaries, social workers, interpreters, housekeepers, and the others I’ve worked alongside for years. When they notice my clean-shaven face — I shaved my beard the night before for the first time in 30 years to make a tight seal with the N95 mask — I hear a few cutting barbs and dramatic gasps.
