under the microscope
By Rodney E . Rohde , PhD , MS , SM ( ASCP ) CM SVCM , MBCM , FACSc
2020 : It Has Been Quite a Year !
• In 2014 , I coined the phrase “ the hidden profession that saves lives .”
• With COVID-19 , these unsung professionals are now in the limelight .
• Unfortunately , this pandemic has led to a nationwide burnout of these professionals , causing dangerous shortages in the U . S . healthcare infrastructure .
When I look back over the past year ,
I remember seeing first reports of a new viral respiratory agent popping up in Wuhan , China . Like many experts , I mentally noted it and moved on to other items of my workweek . That was in December of 2019 . How little we knew of the coming tsunami of change for not only the United States but the entire global population .
As I opened my email today , I noticed so many stories about the “ year in review ” – both good and bad . Understandably , the global COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus dominated the headlines daily during the past year , there are both pandemic and other stories that we have all witnessed .
IntraHealth ’ s Katherine Seaton writes that these were some of the following major news items this past year . In January , WHO launches the first-ever Year of the Nurse and the Midwife . March brings us the news that COVID-19 is officially declared a pandemic . Who can forget May ? George Floyd is murdered . In July , the Trump Administration announces the U . S . will withdraw from the World Health Organization . Here comes August when we learn that Africa becomes free of wild polio . In the fall , October lets us know that The World Food Program wins the Nobel Peace Prize . November brings the U . S . unforgettable election ( with plenty of ongoing controversy ) as it ushers in new leadership and a renewed focus on global health . As I type these words for my monthly column , December unfolds an amazing and developing medical and public health event – The U . K . and the U . S . administer their first coronavirus vaccines .
This pandemic is arguably the most significant and devastating public health event . Globally , it will be remembered as an event that changed how we view microbes . I , like many of my colleagues , have been screaming for decades about the dangers of these invisible invaders . Like 9 / 11 changed air travel , this pandemic will change how everyone views the invisible world of the microbe . Now , there are new ways of thinking about our space , or the surfaces we touch , and what being in an overly crowded space can feel like . We use terms and phrases like “ flatten the curve ,” “ physical distancing ,” “ reproduction number ,” “ false positive / negative ” and “ twindemic ” like they are normal , everyday language .
As I sit her today , Dec . 17 , 2020 , there are approximately 74,695,618 cases and 1,658,588 deaths globally . In the U . S . alone , there are 17,401,787 cases and 314,694 deaths . My amazing colleagues in the medical laboratory and public health laboratory have tested approximately 226,751,534 specimens for COVID-19 . Amazingly , there are only 337,800 practicing medical laboratory professionals for a population of just over 330 million people in the U . S . As I wrote in my recent article , “ Who is doing all those COVID-19 tests ? Why you should care about medical laboratory professionals ,” for The Conversation , I ’ ve worked in public health and medical laboratories for three decades , specializing in the study of viruses and other microbes while also educating the next generation of medical laboratory scientists . In 2014 , I coined the phrase “ the hidden profession that saves lives .” With COVID-19 , these unsung professionals are now in the limelight . Unfortunately , this pandemic has led to a nationwide burnout of these professionals , causing dangerous shortages in the U . S . healthcare infrastructure . Other public health and healthcare professionals show dangerous shortages and burnout as well .
I also wrote that most people in the public do not understand who performs medical laboratory tests for COVID-19 or any other test . It is not your doctor , nurse or a robot . It is a medical laboratory or public health laboratory professional . To put it bluntly , your life is in the hands of medical laboratory professionals . We perform an estimated 13 billion laboratory tests in the U . S . annually . That means that laboratory testing is the single highest-volume medical activity in your life . Why should you care ? Those 13 billion tests drive roughly two-thirds of all medical decisions from cradle to grave . Our professionals have mad respect for physicians , nurses , respiratory therapists , pharmacists and all healthcare professionals . We just want you to understand that we save lives every day even though you do not necessarily see us in the shadows of health care .
Yet , as I sit her , I am reminded that we have come together to produce not one , but multiple vaccines that will help us end this pandemic . Our collective creativity , insight and brilliance has led to monoclonal antibodies , antivirals , and ongoing medical interventions , which save countless lives . Yes , it has been one of the worst years of our lives . However , I also believe this year is one of the most monumental , phenomenal , and significant public health and healthcare achievements of all time . Let us turn the page to 2021 and get to work ! Happy New Year , everyone !
Rodney E . Rohde , PhD , MS , SM ( ASCP ) CM SVCM , MBCM , FACSc , serves as chair and professor of the Clinical Laboratory Science Program at Texas State ; associate director for the Translational Health Research Initiative ; as well as associate dean for research in the College of Health Professions . Follow him on Twitter @ RodneyRohde / @ TXST _ CLS , or on his website : http :// rodneyerohde . wp . txstate . edu /