Evie Younan
Receptionist, medical centre in Concord, Sydney
My work hasn’t slowed down during the lockdown. Everyone still needs to see a doctor now and then. We can’t cut face-to-face interaction, because not everything can be done over the phone. Patients want to avoid hospitals, and expect to be able to make regular visits to their doctor, seeking scripts, medication and health advice.
I do generally feel safe at work, because we are particularly meticulous with things like PPE. I feel more nervous when it comes to patients that aren’t complying with protocol. It is rare, but in those instances, it can be nerve-racking.
My administrative work has been trickier as well. We now have to be a lot more careful. I go through every appointment booked, and check whether a patient is from an LGA [of concern]. We’ve had to stop taking those patients, to maintain the safety of our practice for staff and for existing patients. To close for two weeks because of a positive case in contact with our clinic would mean hundreds of patients can’t receive medical care.
My clinic is administering the AstraZeneca vaccine, which creates extra behind-the-scenes work. There have been a lot more interactions where patients call up concerned about vaccines. It requires us to be up-to-date with vaccine information, which is difficult when information is changing. AstraZeneca vaccinations initially had a three-month wait for a second dose, for example. That then changed to eight weeks, then six, then four.
We’ve had to learn how to balance keeping up with public health advice, but also not changing protocols within our own centre every week. It creates extra work for our staff, and confusion for our patients.
It would be helpful to receive more guidance from the government. We are left to interpret health advice for ourselves, and implement our own protocols.
I am fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca. I was first encouraged by my university at the beginning of the year, then work. I’m worried about transmission of the virus within the work environment and outside. If I was to take that home, I have a younger brother who is not eligible to be vaccinated yet who would be at greater risk.
I am a full-time med student, and I’ve been studying almost entirely remotely since 2020 now. I miss face-to-face learning, and patient interactions we had in hospital placements. It is hard to stay motivated when you’re isolated from your peers.
Dr Vivek Prakash
General practitioner, Cabarita, Sydney
I am a doctor at a suburban family practice. General healthcare needs do not change, with or without a pandemic. People still have ongoing health issues. People still contract common things like tonsillitis, abdominal pain and infections.
So we have remained open, but we have a strict protocol. We try our best to assess the Covid risk of patients before they come in, but sometimes we are at the mercy of people. Not everyone will be honest, or listen to signs in our clinic that say “do not enter” if you show certain symptoms.
At the end of the day there is a risk working through the pandemic. But that risk is lower for us in our setting, because we can control some of that risk. Unlike interacting with people in an uncontrolled environment like going into a shop, we can implement protocols like having patients wait in their cars rather than the waiting room, operating only on appointment, and introducing phone consultations. Now 90% of our consultations are over phone or video.
I would prefer to see people in person. You’re missing out on the opportunity to pick up on things in patients. In real life, you might observe the way someone walks, or interacts. There are non-verbal clues to a health diagnosis that we are missing out on through a screen.
I’m lucky to be isolating with my family unit, who I can talk to and engage with. We don’t go out. We get all our groceries delivered. We exercise at home. We just do what we have to do. The people struggling are the ones living on their own.
I don’t know if we will ever go back to normal. I guess it depends on what you think normal is. How the virus will circulate, and how lifestyles will change, is very unknown. A lot of responsibility falls on individuals to take precautions and mitigate risk. And the number of people against vaccinations appears to be a large percentage of the population. Which is scary. An anti-vax movement could jeopardise so much.
What will be normal? I don’t know. But I don’t think we will get back to life the way it was pre-pandemic.
