It has been no secret amongst colleagues that Daniel Johnson, MD, critical care division chief, doesn’t care for social media. In multiple instances, he has advised trainees to avoid the distractions and risks of these public platforms with large audiences.
Yet, Dr. Johnson currently has not one, not two, but three brand new, personal social media accounts. Though his Facebook, Twitter and Reddit accounts are nearly bare, they remain effective and dedicated to Dr. Johnson’s mission: to save lives.
“I'm sorry that my first Facebook post is so dark, but we really need to get the word out,” Dr. Johnson wrote in his first public post on Nov. 10. “Please inform your family and friends of the current COVID-19 situation in Nebraska and throughout the Midwest.”
The stakes are higher than ever, which is what pushed the busy Cardiovascular ICU director and Nebraska Biocontainment Unit associate director into the world of tags, likes and shares. Nebraska currently has the fifth largest COVID-19 outbreak in the country, and hospital resources are nearing exhaustion.
“We must do everything we can to reverse these trends,” Dr. Johnson said. “If things get completely out of control, every family in Nebraska will be affected either by a death or by serious illness.”
Those words went viral and eventually reached thousands of people and counting, prompting news outlets to broadcast Dr. Johnson’s message, including live interviews with several National news media.
- The Atlantic: ‘America’s best-prepared hospital nearly overwhelmed’
- NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt: ‘Coronavirus Out of Control’
- MSNBC: ‘Nebraska sees 1,300+ new Covid infections in last 24 hours’
- ABC News: ‘Your Voice: COVID-19 medical professionals’
- Inside Edition: ‘Thanksgiving Defiance’
- KETV: ‘Neb. Medicine doctor pens COVID-19 warning as cases rise’
- KLKN: ‘Experts warn of more deaths as Nebraska hospitals fill with virus patients’
- KPTM: ‘Nebraska Medicine promotes a doctor's urgent plea he shared on social media’
It’s not Dr. Johnson’s first experience with the pandemic-related spotlight, and it likely won’t be the last. A similar letter from Nov. 5 caught attention on Reddit.
On October 9, Dr. Johnson wrote a message to colleagues that was widely distributed on social media and resulted in news coverage.
On October 5, Dr. Johnson and a group of infectious disease and critical care experts released a statement at a news conference, which led to widespread news media coverage.
On June 15, the Omaha World-Herald published an opinion piece from three Nebraska Medicine/UNMC physicians, including our own Dr. Johnson, urging all Nebraskans to wear masks in public.
On June 6, The Economist, an international weekly publication, relied upon the expertise of Dr. Johnson to explain how SARS-CoV-2 causes disease and death in COVID-19.
A letter he wrote to loved ones in March went viral on social media with a whopping 4.4 million views and 7,400+ shares, and was covered by several news outlets including the Omaha World-Herald, the Lincoln Journal Star, and Nebraska Medicine.
“I’m really proud of Dr. Johnson and the entire department,” said Steven J. Lisco, professor and Department of Anesthesiology chair. “Not only are they dedicated care givers risking their own health daily, but they are selfless advocates for the health of Nebraskans we are fighting for each and every day. Dr. Johnson’s words are echoed by members of our department and the critical care team he leads.”
“Every healthcare provider has a duty to inform the public when we are in the middle of an emergency,” Dr. Johnson said. “With so many of our fellow Nebraskans feeling worn down by pandemic fatigue, we need to make sure that people understand that our day-to-day choices have the ability to save lives.
"There are hundreds of Nebraska Medicine employees who are working hard to get the word out. We can’t stop trying to prevent new cases. People have gotten tired of SARS-CoV-2, but the virus never gets tired of infecting people.”