All quiet on the Northern Front

Perhaps its a bit crazy, but its one of those thoughts. In fact its the kind of thing that comes back and haunts you after you die as people ironically mention your internet commentary.

But I'm missing the war.

The first iteration of intubation PPE

It's probbaly not a bad thing though. It reminds me of a soldier keen to get into the fight, unable to appreciate the horrors of a war yet to come.

And yet, here I am.

We've trained, we've run scenarios, we've put on our armour and taken it off so many times it has begun to lose meaning. We've stopped all but the emergency operations, and reoriented ourselves to the intensive care unit. Hallways have been cleared, and tape lines marked out to designate clean from dirty.

But by some fortuitous chance I find myself in the Northern Territory, where only one case has been sick enough to come to ICU, and now two weeks down the line there are no new cases and everyone has all but recovered. I spend my time putting in epidurals, doing C sections and giving gentle GA's to the mildly sick.

Hell, I shaved all the hairs off my face for this battle.

Have I missed the war?

I've seen the photos, I've heard the first hand accounts. My overseas colleagues tell me about their now non clinical friends dragged back to the front lines to touch patients for the first time in years.

I was particularly moved by this junior doctors account in the NHS of what the front lines are like. And the relief she felt when finally her number was up and she caught the virus herself.

But here I am. A guy who can intubate and run a ventilator, without a hole to put a tube in or a bag to squeeze.

The waiting has been hard, and this is only the opening salvo in a long war. But if I've somehow missed the war - I'll be okay with it. But I'm happy to do my part when the time comes.

Well done Australia. You stayed the thrashing sword of COVID, and bought our army time for our tactical advances over the next year or two.

Perhaps I'll see some action after all...

Matt, Kat and Pajero. RDH staff accommodation.