Triaging

      Part of our morning clinic routine involves triaging patients in an effort to keep the very sick from waiting any longer than they have to. That used to mean pulling anyone with a fever and anyone less than a month old to the front of the line. Now, thanks to ckikungunya, we not only pull patients with fevers to the front of the line, but we then prioritize patients based on how high said fever is. Anyone with a temp greater than 103 degrees gets seen first (or as close to it as possible if there is more than one person), then those with temps between 102 and 103, and so on down the line until we get to those without fevers. Add it to the list of things I'm learning to be flexible about.
      I realize it probably seems like all I write about these days is chikungunya. That's because I write about what I am thinking about, and all I think about these days is chikungunya. That's an exaggeration. Sort of. I was naive enough last week to think maybe things were starting to slow down. Nope. There has been a huge influx of cases this week in clinic, and it is striking down our staff (and my friends) left and right. Please keep us in your prayers. Thank you.