After returning from a trip to Japan, I developed symptoms that raised some concern, as Hokkaido (my destination) had since declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19.
I cancelled work, stayed home and waited 24 hours before the B.C. nurse line advised me to call a clinic, and Whistler Medical Clinic directed me to talk to someone at the emergency room (ER).
The woman I spoke with gave me protocol for arriving (such as donning a mask and using the sanitizing gel they provided) in order to protect others, and then finished the conversation by saying "You are welcome here, we will take good care of you."
Deep sigh.
It felt like a very generous thing for her to say in a small ER that is often under pressure. The doctor who attended me to administer the test was also outstanding.
Fortunately, the test proved negative. But it was a key public-health action to conduct it on a patient of concern, and I was thankful for their thorough assessment to make sure I was one of those.
Global News reported that as of Friday, Feb. 28, British Columbia had tested more patients for COVID-19 than the entire United States, and stories are already emerging about how the anticipated cost of hospital stays down south are delaying people from being tested (even though the testing is free, the associated costs are not).
We are fortunate to have both the health care system we do, and the extremely professional people who run it.
Asta Kovanen // Whistler
