H1N1

[dmjewelle]

H1N1 is...stressing me out for the wrong reasons.

For the 50 gazillion people who haven't heard from me lately, I've been putting in extra hours at work due to the pandemic. My department (Microbiology/Serology) handles a type of screening test for respiratory viruses (we call it the RSV test), of which currently me and my colleague are the only two people who know how to run this test because it is entirely manual (except for a nifty fluorescent microscope). Since it's done in-house and detects Influenza A (but NOT H1N1), doctors have been using it as an alternative (more expensive too!) to throat swabs sent to IMR for H1N1 detection. So from what used to be maybe 5-6 samples a week, we're getting 20-30 samples a DAY.



This is where it gets annoying, I'll try to put it out in point form (maxsterism might appreciate this).

- The general stats look like this: Out of half the samples, half will be positive. Half of the positive samples will be Influenza A. So if I have 20 patients, 10 will be positive; 5 will be Influenza A positive. Influenza A also has strains, so keeping that in mind the percentage of H1N1 people is further reduced.

- The majority of the samples come from children, which usually involve very worried parents who will call every half an hour to ask if the results are ready, which then the clinic staff will call US, which then answering their stupid phone call eats into processing time, which then they complain that the test is taking too damn long. HELLO, the SOP has always been TWO WORKING DAYS until you yobbos were convinced you were going to die from the plague! Except for the 20 day-old newborn who had Influenza A and the doc cursed like a sailor when I notified the results (after overtiming for an hour). You're exempt.

- The reason for that 2 working days thing is because the test has 2 stages:
a) The screening divides the patients into positive and negative cases
b) The ID specifically identifies the type of virus (Influenza A is one out of 7 types detected)

- Logic dictates that the more samples you have, the longer a test takes since you have to vortex and centrifuge and blahblahblahinsertscientifictermshere. Thus a batch of 20-25 can take up to 6 hours just SCREENING. We had to impose a cut-off time of 10AM so that people sending in their samples at 5 PM don't think they have the right to a RESULT. You think this test takes 5 minutes issit? GO DIE. =__=

- Despite an email sent out to the doctors about the test specifications (what type of specimen, when to send it in, when to expect results), it has become clear not only do doctors not check their email (too busy making money to turn on PC?), they also don't READ and they have the most unrealistic expectations since cosplayers. Just last Sunday my colleague called me from work saying a doctor wanted the results of her screening test sent on Friday 3PM (which was suspected positive anyway but wasn't) and if the parents scream some more she'll just send them to scream at us. So now not only am I expected to give out the full results within one working day, I'm also expected to put in 6 hours of work EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK. I had to work from 8-2 on Saturday just finishing the screening, and you expect me to do this because....? IMR clearly states that they will NOT process samples on weekends and public holidays haha no way no how you wish la and I don't understand why the doctors here expect otherwise from the in-house test when we told them only TWO people run this test, and it's not a general "pop this into the machine DING results out" test.

- To add insult to injury, the vendor provided a new brand of medium which gave me problems for 2 days because I couldn't see ANYTHING under the microscope. It wasn't until yesterday when they sent their product specialist to watch me work that we figured out the problem (needed more phosphate buffer) and fixed it and I didn't get a chance to say NEENER NEENER NEENER to my boss because we had an argument about our methodology. IT WORKED THE LAST 100 SAMPLES LAST YEAR, THIS PROBLEM STARTED WHEN WE GOT THE NEW TUBES GOD DAMN IT, IT'S NOT A METHOD ISSUE! =__=

-As if it wasn't enough, the hospital's ER has been PACKED with people every night since last Monday. Like...30 people to take blood from in 5 hours? My marathon record is 5 patients - I've never been desperate to even prick children until now. Fingerpricks take up to 20 minutes, veins take 5. When you're rushing for time, you take the easiest route. After wearing a mask continuously for 5 hours, I was pretty lightheaded after that. Imagine doing this the whole day. Every day. @__@

My reasons to looking forward to GACC went from wanting to cosplay --> wanting to spend time with bf --> wanting to just get away from work for 4 days. That's how stressful it's been. Ask kimlim, he'll vouch for it.



So all that said, what's my point?

- I'm trying to say that while the percentage of H1N1 is low, it's also no fun to have everyone coughing into your face and having your sleeve grabbed and being asked if you're going to die every single minute of the day. Sure being healthy reduces your chances of dying because it's not the Spanish flu, but that's like saying being healthy protects you from cholera. Currently people aren't dying because their immunity can take it or the virus isn't that strong. But when you have reports of Tamiflu-resistant H1N1 emerging, figuring when the 2nd wave will come is like a time bomb. If we're all sodded, the mutation will probably be resistant to everything and kill able-bodied people like the Spanish flu did. When that time comes, you won't even be bitching whether you can make it for GACC because you'll be too busy trying to stay alive.

- While you might be strong enough to combat H1N1, there are people who aren't. There'll be small kids at GACC, definitely. Say you had mild symptoms. You accidentally cough in the vicinity of a child. That child gets H1N1, but you'll never know because there'll be thousands in the hall and anyone could've given the kid the flu. Masks help, but eventually face and breath moisture will render the masks useless and you'll need to change it often since the virus spreads through fluids. It's not so much as protecting yourself from the flu as it is protecting others from it.

- People complaining about the lack of Tamiflu is also not legit. Antivirals are expensive and in limited supply (we're not Australia who has enough to vaccinate EVERYBODY. Yes. Even flat_foot. And aitakute. And especially hooli. Hooli~! T_T), and there's the normal flu going around to boot. The chances of you having H1N1 is 1 in 20 people (just sayin'), and if we give out Tamiflu like raffle tickets we won't have enough for the ONE unfortunate bugger who HAS H1N1. Like hisashi_glay. You better not be taking our Tamiflu supply, bloody hoarder.

- H1N1 samples require a throat swab. Having taken a throat swab a few weeks back and gagged like a MOFO in ER, this is the ONLY reason I don't want to catch it. >_____<

- I'm not going to GACC. You shouldn't too. It's a social responsibility.



OH CRAP I'M LATE. Here, read this while you wait! ><



PS: Maximum distance of transmission for H1N1 virus: 1 meter.

Comments

[dmjewelle.livejournal.com]

That'd be great! :D