Daniel W. Johnson, division chief of critical care in the Department of Anesthesiology, was interviewed about the COVID-19 pandemic on BBC World Service on Tuesday, December 8.
BBC World Service is an international news service available on radio, television and the internet. It boasts more than 300 million listeners a week and translates their programming to 42 languages.
The 7-minute clip can be found here. Dr. Johnson’s interview begins at the 12:20 mark and concludes at 19:10.
Dr. Johnson spoke of the hopeful dip in infections before Thanksgiving, case numbers now rising again, the challenges healthcare workers are facing, pandemic fatigue, and life outside the hospital.
Memorable quotes from Dr. Johnson include:
“We have had to convert 10 units from their normal mission to COVID-only care. And the teams that are caring for COVID patients are getting strained, they are becoming fatigued at it.”
“Probably the most challenging thing has been the emotional toll. With so many patients dying, it really takes a toll on healthcare workers. We all deal with death. We work in a hospital and understand that death is part of our job. But when you’re dealing with end of life care double or triple, quadruple the normal amount that we typically do, it really wears on people.”
“I have used different media to try to convince people that the decisions they make determine how many people die.”
Dr. Johnson has devoted much of his free time to education of and advocacy for safe behavior during the pandemic.
Dr. Johnson again has global audience with BBC interview
