Reflections on A Year of Coronavirus

The first known death from the coronavirus in the United States was on February 6, 2020. Where are we a year later? What have we been through? It’s a year that has left many of us battered, working long hours against a ruthless disease. In the early months of the pandemic, many healthcare professionals worked tirelessly without adequate personal protective equipment.

With the staggering death toll coupled with isolation from family and friends, the weight of the past year is heavy. For healing to begin, we must first face the magnitude of what we’ve faced in the past 12 months. For healthcare professionals, I think it’s important to acknowledge the physical, mental, and emotional impact the pandemic has had on our lives.

By fully acknowledging what we’ve been through and lost, we can more fully embrace the hope that comes with the arrival of several effective vaccines. We can come to terms with what we need now to care for our bodies, minds, and spirits. And by looking squarely at the challenges we’ve faced, we can more readily point to exactly what we’ve learned and exactly where we want to go from here.