ER doctor advises: Don’t wait in an emergency

A story for you:

A patient had been sick with a cough and a fever for a few days. They had waited it out and had been getting more short of breath by the hour. I was told later that the patient wasn’t sure they were sick enough to be seen in the ER during this pandemic. They were worried that they would be turned away. They were trying to do their part by staying home.

The paramedics were finally called. They put the patient on oxygen and were bringing the patient in to be evaluated. They called us with a courtesy notification to let us know they were on their way.