COVID-19 isn’t supposed to happen to the liberal elite. It’s only for unvaccinated Republicans who deny science and don’t follow the law of Dr. Anthony Fauci and the Centers for Disease Control. It’s a disease that only affects radical right-wing wingnuts and conspiracy theorists who believe in things like natural immunity, balanced diets, healthy lifestyles, and fitness.
Then it happened. This week, woke Twitter doc Hisham Rana, MD caught the Rona. How? How did this happen? He did all the right things. He double-masked, washed his groceries with Lysol, and put his mail in the freezer before opening it.
If you ask him, it’s because he visited a ‘red state’. Like many other virtue-signaling progressives who enjoy vaccine and mask-shaming the rest of the society, it seems Dr. Rana couldn’t resist visiting a red state to enjoy the freedoms afforded there.
The Doctor was so ashamed that he tested positive with an at-home Abbot Binax testing kit, he tested himself short of a dozen times…and you wonder why there are no test kits available? It’s because virtue signaling doctors like Dr. Rana are hoarding them and using them against CDC guidance which doesn’t suggest you burn through them like they’re candy while the peasantry stand in line for hours.
Rana even suggests that visiting Afghanistan is safer than visiting a red state.
The line from Dr. Rana is the same line all of the virtue-leftists who are contracting COVID-19 are saying, “I did everything I was supposed to do and I still got the rona, it must be Trump’s fault.”
Check out this fantastic tale he told on Twitter…on Insurrection Day, no doubt.
It happened this morning. SARS-CoV-2 broke through our defenses despite our attempts to thwart it over the past 2 years. My spouse is positive and I am not on rapid test. I ran it twice for both of us but the results were the same.
I retested my nose and throat on two separate tests this evening and I am still negative on both. We are both triple vaccinated with Moderna. We received the primary series in mid-January and were boosted on November 1.
I have worn a mixture of N100, P100, and N95 masks for the duration of the pandemic. My wife used N95 and KN95 masks for comfort. We are both trained as healthcare professionals (doctor and dentist) so masking for an endless hours does not bother us.
The only time we did not wear masks was at home and in our very small bubble of immediate family and close friends. On a handful of occasions we dined outdoors but we have eaten in on most days over the past 2 years.
Nearly everything we purchase is delivered. Entering stores has been the exception not the norm but we were always masked and did not linger.
We traveled to the Middle East and South Asia for 2 months during the delta surge. The door-to-door travel time for the first leg was about 33 hours with a layover in Doha, Qatar. We masked the entire time. The longer flight of the two was more than 16 hours in duration.
We were a stones throw away from Kabul as the United States and other nations frantically evacuated personnel while the country fell back into Taliban control. Local positivity was approaching 35%. We received polio boosters prior to departing due to local circulation.
We never stopped masking when outside of our living space. We were never infected (with SARS-CoV-2, polio, or anything else). To be blunt, I was surprised. On our return, we quarantined for 10 days and reintegrated with our bubble after negative PCR tests.
This weekend we were in a red state for a quick trip with some very old friends from across the U.S. and the globe. Everyone eligible had their vaccinations up to date. We took all the precautions: tested prior, masked, and not eating/drinking in public.
We rapid tested during our stay several times and were always negative. We left the house several times but wore our masks. We ate out twice. Being a red state, all non-pharmaceutical interventions like masking was non-existent. Outdoor dining was an option.
My wife had mild symptoms last night so we tested this morning (see tweet #1) twice. The timeline of 3 days post the assumed exposure lines up.
No one else, including me, from the trip is positive on rapid test yet. We will PCR test tomorrow. I am assuming I will be rapid test positive in the next few days. I had concerns about the trip and dining out but we rolled the dice multiple times in the past without issue.
Lesson learned? Omicron is different. My worry now is knowing that our local hospitals are full so if either of us need to be admitted then I do not know how that will go. We do not want professional courtesy or special treatment. Let’s see what happens. (We need to fact check this claim)
And finally, as I reread the thread before posting, I recognize all of my first-world privilege throughout. I am concerned for those who cannot avoid the virus and its effects as we have but I also wanted to share my experience ahead of the events of the next few days.
One clarification on tweet 9: we didn’t eat or drink in public while traveling to the airport, at the airport, on the plane, and on the ride to our place of stay. This was to ensure that our masks could protect us the entire way to the destination.
First, vaccines work. Everyone should get vaccinated. My wife is at home with mild symptoms. I am symptomless and not positive.
Second, high-quality masks work. The US government should make these masks available for free on the website for rapid tests.
Third, we don’t diagnose and treat our family members for many good reasons. It is entirely human to be worried about your life partner despite having the knowledge that they will probably be fine due to the amazing vaccines.
Fourth, not wanting to get sick by aiming for prevention is perfectly reasonable. It may be harder with omicron but is still possible and should be a goal especially with long COVID as a possibility, no vaccine for kids under 5, and other at-risk people in our communities.
Fifth, the ‘let it rip’ camp is approaching the pandemic from an inequitable, ableist, and entitled position. I find the idea to be immoral and antithetical to the oath of doing no harm. Preventable deaths should be… prevented.
Sixth, watching my replies tonight, I realize this pandemic will be considered over when the people left suffering are both not seen or valued by those making the pronouncement. I worry that may be soon rather than later.
Seventh, the drop off in positive case counts as the nation is potentially blanketed with at-home tests without a ubiquitous state-based or national method to report results will be used to further the goal in the prior tweet.
Eighth, local hospitals being able to provide service in a reasonable timeframe is important. We don’t yet have a test to tell us who will need to be hospitalized before the need arises. I can’t tell you how many people say “I didn’t think it would be me.”
Finally, this experience was eye-opening but also expected—I have probably been here a very long time. I am looking forward to the next set of responses. BTW, some of you would really lose your mind if you knew what I’ve been working on since the pandemic started.
And post-postscript: The positive test result is not a failure of masks or the vaccine but a poor decision we made in a place with high prevalence of disease. If I get hurt when I am not wearing a seatbelt, we don’t say the seatbelt failed and everyone should forgo them.
Dr. Hisham Rana, MD – Twitter
Riveting tale, chap.
