# Belligerent covid patients frustrate ER personnel **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [January 19, 2022, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068 "2022-01-19T17:58:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068/41 "2022-01-21T04:03:28Z")
Your plan sounds great! Bird watching is also pretty entertaining when you have time to see the personalities. You don’t need to rush to re-invent yourself, you’ve worked hard all of your life and now it is your turn to be one of us retired drains on society. My GP of 20+ years left her practice to go to the VA because she thought they would enforce pandemic reduction measures. I learned today that she has retired. We are losing good, compassionate and caring medical folks right and left due to those assholes. Those sort of fuckheads used to be called 1 percenters (1 percent of any given population cause 99 percent of the problems). Thanks to a man who cannot be named in this forum, the 1 percenters have bred and are overwhelming the rest of us. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068/42 "2022-01-21T04:25:30Z")
The devastating effect of this pandemic on the medical profession (and related occupations) will be felt for decades. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068/43 "2022-01-21T04:36:54Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > half our previously fully vaxxed patients (who were 82% of our total patients) are refusing boosters Why in heaven’s name are they refusing boosters when they had two full-strength injections? ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068/44 "2022-01-21T04:37:44Z")
My new GP is having so many staffing issues that I’m looking at how much I can earn without having reporting issues before offering to help out X number of hours a day. I’m not willing to dress professionally and face the public, but I am willing to sit in a room with a phone and comp to call in refills and consults. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068/45 "2022-01-21T04:40:09Z")
That’s kind of you. Today my medical group sent an email saying they’re running very short staffed. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068/46 "2022-01-21T04:47:21Z")
I am not kind, I am self-serving. _My_ issues have been delayed over this and of course _my_ issues are the most important. For The Record I’m not opposed to my Social Security being lowered due to me making excess income, it’s the all the reporting PITA I don’t want to deal with. I think I can do 10 hours a week, which would cover the phones at lunch and give me some faxing time, plus that schedule means I don’t have to worry about rush hour traffic. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068/47 "2022-01-21T04:58:27Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > > [@sitchensis](#): > > > > Hospitals the new gas chambers > > Yeah, my daughter says she is there to offer sympathy and assistance and that’s the way they respond. She is a very durable woman, but this may be too much. Holy fucking shit. I don’t think I could cope with that. > [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > It is easier to forgive acting out when the patient is demented, drunk, discomfited, discombobulated or dolorous. Yeah. It’s even easier if they don’t act out. I recently was chatting with the nurse who had to draw my blood as part of a vaccine study I joined. And he was saying he’s new to the group, and he’s always been interested in research, and he’s really liking this job. And I said, “and I bet it’s nice that most of your patients are in good spirits, and not hurt and upset”. And said “oh YES”. I realized that I am a much easier patient when I’m not sick. And of course, the vast majority of people a nurse has to interact with in a research unit are volunteers who chose to be there and are feeling pretty good today, and are in a decent mood, and are reasonably cooperative. I mean, I hate having my blood drawn, but I thought about it before I joined the study, and decided I was willing to put up with it. So I’m already reconciled to that unpleasantness before I walk in the door. And I’m happy to distract myself by chatting with the nurse about whatever he’s interested in talking about. Anyway, I give the doctors and nurses and security staff and custodians who have to deal with covid a hell of a lot of credit. Thank you for helping us all. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068/48 "2022-01-21T05:55:38Z")
Sure. One of the first patients I saw as a medical student was an elderly lady with dementia. We were asked to listen to her heart to identify her murmur. I put my stethoscope on her chest. She grabbed it forcefully, pulling my head towards her and covered my face with slobbery kisses. Clearly, she was also blind. One of the first psychiatric patients I saw refused to answer any more of my interview questions. Oh, she could see through me. All I really wanted, she correctly decided, was to “learn how [she] could turn pennies into nickels and why [she] never loses at Yahtzee”. Damn straight. Not all patients who act out are menaces. These are much better than idiots high on jimsonweed who trash supply rooms. Anti-vaxxers are often annoying because reasoning does not work. But until recently this pet peeve was primarily paediatrician’s problems. In the ER, you state the facts, be diplomatic, and if this does not work either walk away or require assistance depending on the details. In a big city ER there is lots of security. In a small ER, security can be very minimal, minutes away, and much dicier. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068/49 "2022-01-21T06:16:12Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > The HermanCainAward subreddit posted of an effort in a new Telegram channel to call and harass hospitals and staff because “anti-white coronavirus death cult Vax nazis” are killing white patriots in hospitals. Yes, by all means, patriots, if you’re feeling sick, it’s just the made up virus, don’t go to the hospital death chambers, just stay home. I think we are going to have a medical staffing shortage for decades because of this. It’s one thing for doctors and nurses to work overtime for a year before we had a vaccine heroically saving people’s lives. It’s an entirely different thing to be in year 2-3 of a pandemic, still being asked to work your ass off, but now it’s to save all the morons who refuse to protect themselves against this. And not only that, but they’re going to take a fucking swing when you try to save their lives with a ventilator. While you work beyond the limits of normal human endurance in order to give it your all to save these people, their families are going to give you death threats and accuse you of being part of a conspiracy to kill their family members. Who is going to keep working to help people during all that? I would’ve been burned out on it a year ago. If I could just treat the non-morons, I would, but medical ethics precludes that, and I think I’d rather move in to a different career rather than keep working to exhaustion trying to save people who are enraged at me for doing so. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068/50 "2022-01-21T15:43:54Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > Why in heaven’s name are they refusing boosters when they had two full-strength injections? Who knows what stupidity lurks in the minds of Man? Well yes, of course _I_ know. I’m wondering who else does. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068/51 "2022-01-21T18:54:24Z")
Hey, you should become a moderator here in your retirement! ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068/52 "2022-01-21T19:00:14Z")
Yeah, that sounds soothing and unconflictual! ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068/53 "2022-01-21T23:49:34Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > And not only that, but they’re going to take a fucking swing when you try to save their lives with a ventilator. If they did this in front of me it would take considerable self-restraint to resist the urge to intubate that person using an alternate entry point. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068/54 "2022-01-22T00:38:45Z")
Well that’s a new one. I had always heard that COVID was real from that segment of the population, but that the severity was where the government was lying; it’s just “another flu” and the government is playing it up to control people. Or some other half-baked idiocy like that. I had not heard that people believe it’s an outright hoax. I do believe I might actually punch someone in the face if they said that in my presence, considering that my father died from it, and we’ve all been suffering through all the lockdowns, masking, and so on for two years now. ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068/55 "2022-01-22T01:04:27Z")
Only semi-tangential but can anyone explain to me how there are medical personnel who are dealing with this day in and day out yet are still rejecting the vaccine for themselves? I could do another paragraph about how this is incomprehensible to me, but I think the point is made. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068/56 "2022-01-22T01:12:08Z")
I’d sure like to know that, too! ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068/57 "2022-01-22T01:15:56Z")
I suspect it’s related to the fact that most of Q’s patients have demonstrated… substandard reasoning ability in many other ways over the course of their lives. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068/58 "2022-01-22T03:22:49Z")
> [@Lare](#): > > Only semi-tangential but can anyone explain to me how there are medical personnel who are dealing with this day in and day out yet are still rejecting the vaccine for themselves? It depends how you define vaccinated against the disease. People who have contracted covid have a naturally immunity yet there is no recognition of this. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068/59 "2022-01-22T03:23:58Z")
For a given value of ‘immunity’. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068/60 "2022-01-22T03:32:27Z")
Yes. And they’re all different among the different strains. For Instance: [Prior COVID infection more protective than vaccination during Delta surge.](https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/prior-covid-infection-more-protective-than-vaccination-during-delta-surge-us-2022-01-19/) The point is, without sidetracking the thread, having covid is dismissed as a form of vaccination. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belligerent-covid-patients-frustrate-er-personnel/958068.md?page=4)