Stories of COVID-19: Decisions, Part 2
The Story Collider
Story Collider, Inc.
4.4 • 824 Ratings
🗓️ 7 December 2020
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In Part 2 of Decisions, we’re sharing two more stories of difficult choices, one from a physician and another from the director of a public health laboratory.
In our first story, medical doctor Matifadza Hlatshwayo Davis must make a difficult decision about whether to work home while pregnant during the pandemic.
In our final story of this episode, Myra Kunas takes on the significant task of directing the Minnesota Public Health Lab in May -- a task that becomes even more complicated after the tragic murder of George Floyd, when protests and riots take over the streets surrounding her lab.
Find transcripts and photos for these stories on our website: https://www.storycollider.org/stories-of-covid19
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome back to Story Clider's Stories of COVID-19. I'm your host, Artistic Director |
| 0:18.6 | Aaron Barker. Today we're bringing you part two of our episode on decisions. |
| 0:24.3 | If you missed part one, we shared a story from labor and delivery nurse Amelia Reeves |
| 0:28.3 | who has to make a crucial decision about whether to comfort a patient or whether to |
| 0:32.3 | abide by hospital COVID protocols. |
| 0:35.2 | And we also spoke with Professor of Law and Psychology, Tess Wilkinson, |
| 0:38.6 | Ryan, about pandemic decision making. I highly recommend checking it out. I know that making |
| 0:45.1 | decisions right now is definitely on everybody's minds. So I think it will resonate with you. |
| 0:51.1 | For now, we have two more stories for you on the theme of decisions. |
| 0:55.6 | Our first story comes from clinician Matifadza, Lechweo Davis. |
| 1:00.0 | It was recorded in her basement in St. Louis, Missouri. |
| 1:18.6 | So it's March 2020 and coronavirus is upon us. |
| 1:24.3 | I'm an infectious diseases doctor, so I'm running around, going to meeting after meeting, |
| 1:26.7 | because we're faced with leading the charge. |
| 1:29.2 | I'm also trying to stay up to date with scientific articles, but there's scarcely any data. I'm trying to answer all the texts |
| 1:35.9 | coming into my phone from panicked family members and friends. Some I hadn't even spoken to in over |
| 1:40.6 | 10 years. But I'm also seven months pregnant. And let's just be very clear here. |
| 1:48.1 | This is not the radiant, glowing. Oh, look at her. She's so beautiful. Seven months. |
| 1:54.6 | This is the, I feel fat. I'm very wide. My back hurts all the time. Not a day goes by that it doesn't hurt. And I really need |
| 2:03.9 | someone to take this baby out of me immediately. Thanks. So on top of that, I'm grappling with how to |
| 2:12.2 | reconcile my pregnancy and my work. Because like I said, there's just, there's no data and no conclusive recommendations. |
| 2:20.1 | Thank God for my obstetrician, Dr. Philpott, because he makes it black and white. |
... |
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