St. Joseph doctor warns COVID-19 more serious than you might think
COVID-19 is not just a bad flu. The disease affects the blood vessels, causing lasting symptoms even in those with mild cases, according to a PeaceHealth doctor.
The Bellingham Herald spoke with Penelope Barnes, an infectious disease doctor at St. Joseph hospital who has treated COVID-19 patients, to learn how the virus affects people. As cases continue to rise across Washington state and the country, Barnes said people need to look beyond the statistics to understand the larger impact of the virus.
“The statistics that we look at every day and drive ourselves nuts with are the statistics of how many deaths and how many test positive, but they don’t tell any of the story of everything in between,” Barnes said.
Though the novel coronavirus is part of the virus family that includes the common cold, it affects the body in a way those other viruses do not, Barnes said.
Barnes said the flu mostly affects the sinuses and lungs, while the coronavirus can affect the lining of the blood vessels. These vessels are all over the body and can affect all organs including the heart, lungs, kidney and brain.
The virus can cause inflammation all over the body and doctors are still not sure why some people get inflammation in some parts of the body and not others, Barnes said.
Additionally, doctors are learning that people who should have recovered are still struggling four months later.
“We’ve had people who have been runners, who have had it at home, they didn’t even hit the hospital, but they can’t run anymore,” Barnes said. “They just get out of breath.”
Barnes said the majority of people infected with the virus experience mild to moderate symptoms. On a spectrum, there are people who are asymptomatic on one end and those who have serious disease on the other.
Even those who only experienced mild disease have reported ongoing problems including exhaustion, muscle aches, not being able to get out of bed and headache fuzziness, Barnes said.
“We have no idea how many people who have mild disease, or even asymptomatic disease… are going to end up with long term damage,” Barnes said. “We have no idea about that, but we are beginning to get the inkling that that may be the case.”
Barnes said she primarily treats people who are desperately sick and that patients have been generally getting younger. She added the median age for patients recently at the hospital is about 45.
Barnes said the patients she sees are experiencing extreme symptoms resulting from the immune system overreacting to the virus. This causes the lungs, heart and kidneys to not work well, she added.
To treat patients, Barnes said the hospital has been primarily using two drugs: a steroid called dexamethasone and the anti-viral drug Remdesivir.
Barnes said the hospital has been proactive in peer reviewing studies for new treatments before using them on patients. To that end, the hospital has set up a task force to stay on top of the scientific literature and review new studies as they are released.
“We are in unprecedented time for medicine in that what’s news has become science,” Barnes said. “Everybody has become so desperate to have something to do because the feeling of helplessness of watching people die in front of you.”
If someone feels they may have contracted the virus, Barnes said they should get tested and speak with their doctor before considering going to a hospital.
“I think it’s important to get tested because it also will inform everybody around you,” Barnes said. “Secondly, I think it’s important that you link in with your doctor because only they can review what your potential risk factors are for having severe disease and what that would look like.”
The situation at the hospital has been stressful for everybody, Barnes said. She said it feels as though the lives of everyone at the hospital have been turned upside down.
“I think every single person in the hospital is affected,” Barnes said. “My heroes are the nurses who work on the COVID unit, who are in there all day every day, and provide the most amazing care in a situation that for the patient is extraordinarily lonely.”
Given the lack of a vaccine, Barnes said its essential people wear their masks and physically distance themselves from others.
“Everybody is frazzled to be wearing masks,” Barnes said. “We haven’t got a vaccine. This masking and social distancing is what we’ve got. My big appeal is don’t become one of my patients.”
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