So today I had the misfortune of a “incarcerated umbilical hernia”. Basically my body twisted around itself and cut off myself from myself.

I really don’t understand it. Just felt wrong.

I was at the GP at 10am.
GP advised present to hospital.
Missus drove me to Hospital by 11

They gave me a new mask, temperature checked me, COVID interrogated me.

But from this point...well I was basically fast tracked. Risk was high, theatre had a schedule that could fit me in. My thing got fixed.

In another timeline with thousands of COVID cases, well ...

I could have been a “casualty” of COVID, and not one COVID person would have died.

They just would have been taking up hospital capacity.

I would have waited longer for GP appt, waited longer at emergency. Waited longer for ED doctors, waited longer for surgical consult.

Waited long for a theatre slot, waited longer for a ward bed.

The staff treating me would have been more tired, more run down, more compromised.

If, as they feared, I had an ischaemic bowel, this delay could have killed me.

I would be a casualty of a system overrun by COVID.

Instead due to extensive and harsh restrictions in my state, we have had only 2 cases today. Down from a peak that was over 700 a day.

I am the recipient of the benefits of a health system OPERATING AS NORMAL.

Not a person at risk of death because my hospital is overwhelmed.

The idiot trollbots keep going “ONLY 0.02% of people die” well MAYBE (actually no), but people like me, and cancer, stroke, motor vehicle accidents and heart attacks would all be dying at a higher rate in a hospital system preoccupied with 10,000’s of COVID cases.

We are not out of the woods in Victoria. Do your bit to maintain social distancing, wearing of masks, and good hygiene, avoid crowded indoors.

It means our hospital has a higher chance of keeping EVERYBODY alive.