A nurse speaks out

She started off emailing about the deliberate undercounting of vaccinated Covid patients, but she wound up saying much more

This email came in a few days ago, after the Stack about the way hospitals misclassify vaccinated patients with Covid as unvaccinated to make the vaccines look better. It is raw and real, a cry from a nurse who is incredibly frustrated by what she’s seen since 2020.

I asked her if I could run it, and she graciously agreed. (She followed up with another, even more personal email about side effects some mRNA-jabbed colleagues are now suffering, but that contains medical information too private to share.)

I have confirmed her identity, but she has asked not to be further identified (she works in a deep blue state, and she fears for her job if she is found out).

I have edited only for a couple of tiny copy editing fixes. These are HER words, HER pain.

Hi Alex -

As a nurse for over 20 years I can tell you it is DELIBERATE that hospitals DO NOT ASK about covid vaccination status. Epic (the most common hospital charting system) does not register shots given at pop up vaccination clinics, roving vans or pharmacies or from many other health organizations (as you noted).

MANY of my patients show covid vax status as 'unknown', but when I ask them many have already have 4 shots (the people in my state are ridiculously compliant). We have an extensive covid checklist that we ask all patients, even outpatients, before they enter the hospital - so whether it's a quick EKG or a huge surgery that's going to require a 4 day stay you get asked the 'covid questions'

1. do you have any of the following symptoms (lists every cold and flu symptom known to man).

2. have you been diagnosed with covid in the past 3 weeks

3. Do you have a covid test pending?

4. Have you been around anyone diagnosed with Covid in the past 3 weeks?

5. Have you left the state in the past 3 weeks?

I think that's all of them, god knows I should remember since I've asked this a thousand times now. What's a HUGE omission from this list is their Vax status (since the Medical Gods have decreed that they will save us all).

WHY wouldn't they ask that? 

It's also interesting to note that the hospital I work for REQUIRES a covid test, not on every patient, but on patients that are going to be admitted to the hospital. Allegedly this is for 'safety' but that makes no sense. Picture this. I work in the surgery department. Our department handles both inpatients (people who stay the night) and outpatients (people who go home the same day of their procedure).

So you can come into the same giant pre-surgery room with all the other staff and patients and we don't test you UNLESS you will be staying the night. So if you have covid you are probably exposing at least 50 people as an outpatient. I think it must be linked to the financial reimbursements they are getting- they probably only get reimbursed for inpatients who test positive at this point. It would be interesting to know.

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Also, one of the HUGE contributing factors to the nursing shortage (aside from the hated vaccine mandates that everyone seems to have forgotten is still imposed on ALL health care workers- thanks Joe Biden) is the MASKS. It is TERRIBLY unpleasant to have to work all day, muzzled. Psychologically, it's awful. As a caregiver I cannot connect with my patients the way I used to, which is super depressing. They can't even see who I am.

Physically it's dreadful and stuffy and I'm pretty sure I'm inhaling bits of it deep into my lungs all day. I HATE them, and so does every other nurse, doctor, tec [hospital technician], aide etc etc that I know. I'm not even talking about the horrid N95's which are actually PAINFUL to have on your face for more than about 10 minutes.

The CDC withdrew the guidance to make hospital staff mask (at all) and are leaving it up to the hospitals. So, in case you wanted to know, that might be the single biggest factor in the vast number of health care workers resigning currently IMO and no one seems to be getting it.

Anyway, this is just a jaded nurse ranting late at night. Thank you for all you do, you have given me hope in my darkest times. Thank you for having the courage and character to tell the truth. The world needs more people like you. We need people who have a fucking spine.

Wishing you every success,

XXX

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PS

Refusing the covid vaccine even though I thought I would probably lose my career and be living under a bridge helped me grow a spine. I somewhat miraculously secured a religious exemption. However this means I'm tied to the hospital I currently work at, so my career is at a dead end unless mandates are lifted. In the event I get fired, my career is over. No hospital will hire anyone without a vaccine. You can really only get an exemption if you are ALREADY hired. This is what it means for those of us who refused. If we need to move or if we get fired we are well and truly fucked.

However, I am more grateful every day I didn't get the jab. Refusing it was, and continues to be, "character building" as they say.