After reaching our peak of COVID-19 diagnoses, the pace in the hospital begins to slow, allowing space for knowledge sharing, and time to reflect on the global impact of the pandemic. The department publishes a landmark study on universal screening for COVID-19 for women admitted for labor and delivery, and lead author Dr. Dena Goffman appears on “The Rachel Maddow Show” on MSNBC, CNN, “CBS This Morning,” and other outlets to share their findings broadly. The department continues to mourn the death of Dr. Richard Levine, a pillar of the medical center, who passed away on April 12.
I was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, during the years of the Soviet invasion. On the night of my birth, my country was under strict curfew. Social distancing was a norm—for fear not of a viral illness but of gunfire and bombings. My father was what we would consider an “essential worker”—a trauma surgeon who would rarely leave the hospital during the war. My mother, a practicing Ob/Gyn, always remarks how lucky she was that as a physician she was able to leave the house during curfew to go to the hospital for my birth. I was premature, and at nearly 4 pounds, a home delivery alone would not have been ideal.
Many years have passed since those nights in Kabul, and now I’m a gynecologist here at Columbia, practicing a different sort of social distancing. In the past month, many things have changed, yet what stands within this newfound physical distance are pillars of camaraderie, love, and support. I see my colleagues supporting their patients and coworkers in unparalleled ways. Whether it be volunteering for redeployment to help decrease the pressure and strain on our most vulnerable colleagues, mastering telehealth so our patients are never alone, or innovating new PPE to protect our own health, we are all working together. None of us are alone.
Helai Hesham, MD, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at NYP/CUIMC
April 13
Research Universal screening for COVID-19 of women admitted for delivery: A new study from the department looks at the results of universal testing for a total of 215 pregnant women who delivered between March 22 and April 4. The use of universal testing reveals that most of the patients who were positive for COVID-19 at delivery were asymptomatic.
Governor Cuomo and a coalition of five Northeast state governors announce efforts to coordinate the reopening of their economies.
April 14
All 50 states report deaths from COVID-19.
April 17
New York residents are required to wear face masks in public.
April 21
Total hospitalizations in New York fall to their lowest level since early April.
April 26
Governor Cuomo announces two-phase plan for reopening New York.
The surgical mask is a piece of personal protective equipment (PPE) that healthcare workers have always taken for granted. Now it has become a precious commodity. As the person responsible for procuring supplemental PPE for our department, sometimes it feels like I’m competing for a highly desired apartment in New York City. The marketplace is also full of counterfeit masks and price gouging. The words “broker,” “distributor,” and “supplier” roll off my lips like I’m a dealer looking for contraband.
The mask has also become associated with racism. As an Asian-American wearing a mask in public, I have experienced racial slurs firsthand. It had been a long time since I heard the word “Chink,” but its resurgence is real. The circumstances of this viral pandemic have bolstered the smoldering racism in our country. The naming of COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus” was just the beginning. For me, wearing a mask makes me feel safer, but it is also a constant reminder of the risk I take to care for patients.
Even though the ubiquitous use of masks has made us somewhat of a faceless society, it has redefined us in ways that go beyond the surface. I believe as humans we should be united, not divided, behind our masks, like superheroes going into battle against a common nemesis.
Arnold P. Advincula, MD, Chief of the Division of Gynecologic Specialty Surgery and Richard U. Levine Professor of Women’s Health at NYP/CUIMC