A tale of two quarantines

Good day all. This is the story of two medical professionals who returned from Africa after treating Ebola patients. Both people were put into quarantine. One is still there, and the other made a complete fool of herself with her arrogance.

If you are thinking the complete fool is one Kaci Hickox, you would be correct. However, the other is a doctor who was also put into quarantine when he returned, but unlike that egotistical stuck up spoiled brat, decided that it would be better for all if he stated in quarantine. The second person is Doctor Colin Bucks and he is currently waiting to be fully cleared in California. Here are the details from the Mercury News:

Dr. Colin Bucks sits in his Redwood City home every day — completely alone. He sent his wife and dog to a hotel. The only time he goes out the front door is to retrieve food delivered into a cooler on his porch. He won’t even walk down the driveway to pick up the tossed fliers that are piling up.

Bucks, 43, a Stanford emergency physician, is one week into a 21-day quarantine since his return from a jungle camp in Liberia, where he served for a month on the front lines of the Ebola epidemic that killed about half his patients whose stories “hit you right in the gut.“

Dr. Bucks took every precaution while working with Ebola patients. More then likely, he is free of the virus, but he decided not to take any chances.

The medical teams covered themselves head to toe in sweltering, yellow Hazmat suits while treating patients, then hosed the suits down with a bleach solution as they undressed. He has no symptoms and believes he poses no health risk to his community.

And here is the difference between Dr. Bucks and Kaci Hickox.

But unlike Maine nurse Kaci Hickox who has been making headlines by defying her quarantine order after returning from treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone, Bucks has no quarrel with his required isolation. He knows that while unlikely, it’s possible he could develop symptoms within 21 days of his last exposure to the virus that has killed nearly 5,000 people. And even though San Mateo County health officials have given him the go-ahead for bike rides or jogs through the neighborhood by himself, he chooses to exercise in the confines of his house.

And there’s the difference. Dr. Bucks is putting others ahead of himself, which is what anyone in the Healthcare field agrees to when they take the Hippocratic Oath ((Hippocratic Oath)). (The phrase “First, do no harm” is not part of the oath and is attributed to Thomas Inman) Kaci Hickox thinks she’s special and that the world revolves her wants and desires. While Kaci “I Love Me” Hickox is out riding a bicycle and putting people at risk, Dr. Bucks won’t leave his home to reassure people.

“If I had to go outside the house, it would be completely safe. But for community reassurance, I’m staying completely inside my house and on the property,” Bucks, a clinical assistant professor of surgery at the Stanford School of Medicine, said in a phone interview Thursday. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen that would heighten community anxiety.”

And kudos to this fine example of the medical profession. I understand that this is a very stressful period for him and his family, but like the true profession that he is, Dr. Bucks is doing what he believes needs to be done. Further, Dr. Bucks is working remotely with his colleagues to prepare them if they should encounter someone suffering from Ebola.

Dr. Paul Auerbach, chief of emergency medicine at Stanford School of Medicine, said the day after Bucks returned he called his colleagues to be sure Stanford doctors understood how to identify and treat Ebola patients.

“His first question is never what can we do for him, but what he can do for others,” said Auerbach, who earlier this week dropped off in Bucks’ cooler a duck for dinner and chocolate for dessert.

This, as I’ve said before, is the mark of a true professional. While I’m pretty sure he wants to be with his family, and be back at work, he is making sure that he is clear of the virus, and putting everyone’s fears to rest, at least in regard to any possibility that he might be infected. I wonder if it’s possible to arrange a nice dinner out for Doctor Bucks and his family at the finest restaurant in the area. Hey! We can sent pizza to Israeli soldiers, I don’t see why we can’t organize something like this. As to Kaci Hickox? As far as I’m concerned, she should be stripped of any accreditation and licenses and put to work cleaning bedpans.

Thatisall

~The Angry Webmaster~

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