Opinion: I'm a physician. My wife and I had breakthrough COVID-19 cases. Vaccination saved her life.
I have done my own research, as many have popularly used the phrase. I have read, and I understand the scientific studies around this illness and the vaccines.
I had COVID-19. And I had been fully vaccinated. It is a terrible illness.
I am a physician and faculty member at Des Moines University. I provide care to patients, I teach medical students, and I do a small amount of research. Like almost all my physician colleagues, I devoured the research week by week as we saw the infection encircle the globe and cut down the lives of so many people, some famous and some not. Like almost all my colleagues in health care, I did everything I could to protect myself from being infected, so that I could help prevent infecting my patients. I eagerly awaited the years of research into the mRNA vaccine to finally reach mass production, and my wife and I were early in line to receive our two doses last winter.
I rejoiced this summer when infection rates finally dropped to significant lows, and we took a family vacation on the Delaware oceanfront. My wife, Barb, and I were still careful mask wearers when in stores, less so when we were out in the open and on the water. Of the thousands of other vacationers, we probably encountered only 10 other mask wearers there.
When we returned from vacation in August, we considered Barb’s cough and my hoarseness a result of a cold or allergies. But we were wrong.
Within a few days, my wife's asthma had been fully aggravated and her complaint of “I can’t breathe” led us quickly to an urgent care center in West Des Moines, where she was diagnosed with COVID-19 by nasal swab. Unquestionably, we had caught this virus from someone else who was not wearing a mask.
What followed for me was two weeks in quarantine with high fevers, hallucinations, severe headaches, and extreme fatigue. My wife survived at home with around-the-clock inhalation treatments, and fever and cough suppressants. Heavy on my heart was the outcome of her more severe case, and my worry of infecting the many people with whom I had come in contact for the few days I had been back to the university.
Once we were better, I half-joked with my wife that if we had not been vaccinated, she would have been dead from the virus. At her checkup with her own doctor, she was sternly told the same thing.
I have done my own research, as many have popularly used the phrase. I have read, and I understand the scientific studies around this illness and the vaccines. This is an infection that likes to get into human beings from the coughing and phlegm of other human beings, completely indifferent to your nationality, socioeconomic status, wealth, political party, or ZIP code. Unvaccinated humans who get it are far more likely to die. If you’re vaccinated, your risk of serious illness is 10 to 100 times lower, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And although it’s not foolproof, most vaccinated people won’t get ill if they are exposed.
As we recovered from our infections, I reflected on the possibility that I could have infected students, other employees, and even patients I encountered. Somewhat reassuring is our university’s strong vaccination rate among our students and employees. I recovered fairly quickly, but only now is my wife's voice returning and cough resolving, three months later.
I am nearing the end of my career, and I am exhausted in my professional and personal life, dealing with the burden this infection has placed on our health care system and society. We are not dining out as much as we used to. We want to mingle unmasked closely with others at the farmers' market and the State Fair. I do not like wearing a mask, but the science obviously says I am protecting others by doing so.
Protect yourself, your family, and those around you from a disease that might kill you. Get the vaccine, and for now, keep wearing a mask.
Dr. Paul B. Volker is an assistant professor and physician in the Family Medicine Clinic at Des Moines University.