He was a spy, or so we thought. He had traveled the world, spoke eight languages fluently, and knew much more about world affairs than your average Joe. He was a typical COVID patient—jolly, no apparent breathing difficulties, just a slight fever three days ago and a positive test. He came to the emergency department (ED) because he had a blood oxygen saturation reading of 88% at home, later determined to be 90% in the ED. We also saw the much-feared blurry white patches on his chest X-ray.

My jolly patient was 91 years young, so at more than average risk, even though he was vaccinated; sometimes COVID doesn’t care.

“Any family? Someone you want to talk with?” I asked him, wishing I had the mental energy right then to hear more about his life. “No. Never had a family. Going through the Holocaust, and experiencing other things in my life, I became pessimistic about humanity. I always knew that it might happen again, so I never wanted to have a family.” As someone who studies loneliness and genocides, I had too many things to say, so I said nothing. I admitted him, making a mental note to visit him … Continue reading A Lonely Death During a Pandemic