Volume 7 • 2020 • Issue 5

“The World Changed While I Was Sick” Dr. Michael Chow Recovered from COVID-19 After Two Months in Hospital On March 11, nearly a week after returning from the Pacific Dental Conference, Dr.MichaelChowfelt feverish.Heassumed itwas theseasonal flu.Hewas ahealthy57-year‑old who ran half‑marathons and went to the gym four times a week. He’d only been in hospital to treat injuries sustained from his active lifestyle; he loved to ski, hike, fish and golf. D ana, Dr. Chow’s wife, was concerned and called Dr. Chow’s brother, Stacey, who is a medical doctor. She asked if her husband might be infected with the novel coronavirus. Stacey wasn’t sure. The virus had reached British Columbia, but it was still uncommon. A few days later, Dr. Chow got a notification to self-isolate because an attendee at the conference had tested positive for the virus. He felt sicker. Stacey visited Dr. Chow at home and performed a nasal swab, which he sent to a lab to be tested. On March 19, Dana noticed that Dr. Chow was gasping for air. On the phone, she told Stacey that her husband was breathing 40 times a minute. An adult at rest normally has a respiration rate of 12 to 16 breaths per minute. “So my brother came over right away, listened to my chest, took my vitals and drove me straight to the emergency room at the hospital where he works,” says Dr. Chow. At Surrey Memorial Hospital, Dr. Chow had a chest x-ray. “My lungs were full of fluid,” he says. He was diagnosed with hypoxic respiratory failure. “The doctors told me that I had to go on life support immediately. They told me to talk to my wife, just in case. They weren’t sure I was going to survive.” Dr. Chow spoke with Dana and his two children via FaceTime. Then he was intubated, which requires high levels of sedation. “When I was on a ventilator, I had to be in an induced coma, I ssues and P eople 22 | 2020 | Issue 5