Abu Dhabi: Dr David Simon has been working with infectious diseases for more than 25 years. As head of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Mediclinic Al Ain Hospital, he also took a frontline role in managing the pandemic response at the private facility.
Yet, when the doctor, 48, contracted COVID-19 himself, he was terrified.
“It was a typical picture of COVID-19: I had opacity on my lungs, meaning that the virus had begun destroying a part of my lung tissue and I was feverish and exhausted,” Dr David Simon said. “Honestly, I was terrified because it progressed so quickly. The weakness I felt was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I couldn’t even move two metres to the bathroom. But I still sat up in bed and took part in conference calls when I felt stronger,” he added.
Frontline professionals
Dr Simon is among thousands of frontline professionals who have been recognised and supported by the Frontline Heroes Office for taking exceptional measures to protect the UAE population.
After months of working with patients, Dr Simon came down with COVID-19 in May 2020. “I didn’t see my teenage children or my wife, who is an anaesthetist. They would only call me on the phone. It was claustrophobic being in that small space and I felt cut off from everyone. It was a strange time for me, being the patient,” he said.
Full recovery
He, however, went on to make a full recovery, and after a two-week period of home quarantine, returned to work. He said that contracting the virus made him even more empathetic in his job. “When I spoke to patients, I knew what they were going through. Recovering also helped me deal with their families emotionally, which was one of the toughest parts. COVID-19 patients were not allowed any visitors so we were responsible for meeting the families every day to report on their loved ones. If a patient’s condition was worsening, that was particularly hard to do. Once I could tell them that I myself had recovered, it made things much easier,” he said.
Shock for medical community
The doctor also shed light on how the scale and rapid spread of COVID-19 rattled the international medical community. “This was something brand new and completely unprecedented. When COVID-19 swept across the world in early 2020, it was a biological catastrophe. In the medical profession, we could only react to the virus as it happened. We didn’t have a specific drug or approach; we didn’t have a ventilation strategy or other necessary procedures,” he remembered.
Pandemic response
Dr Simon rapidly developed and fine-tuned a strategy for treating the increasing number of patients admitted to the ICU, and shared his experience with medical colleagues around the world. He also praised the Department of Health — Abu Dhabi (DoH) for its continuing guidance and support.
In the early stages of the pandemic, Al Ain’s COVID-19 patients were treated at government hospitals. But as cases grew, teams including Dr Simon’s were asked to provide support. In April 2020, he extended his ICU unit, adding 12 beds and dedicating almost all his staff to COVID-19 patient care. “We were working around the clock and it was a case of all-hands-on deck to help these desperately ill patients. We were able to accurately assess the patient flow, but there was no such thing as a typical patient. They were all ages and nationalities and the virus affected everyone differently,” Dr Simon said.
Unpredictable disease
“I would see senior women in their nineties pass through easily while some younger men in their thirties were close to death. There was one man on a ventilator for three months with a tracheostomy who luckily survived. Of course, I was exhausted, but the experience of helping patients and seeing the success stories, bringing patients off the ventilator, pulling out the tube and sending them home kept me going,” he added.
Lifelong learning
In June 2020, Mediclinic Al Ain was declared free of COVID-19 by the DoH. Reflecting on his experience, Dr Simon said it left him with lifelong learning. “I would say the most important lesson for humanity to take from this crisis is to take responsibility for their own bodies. If you don’t look after your own health, then who will? COVID-19 affected my entire life both personally and professionally. I was caught right in the middle and I will never forget this period, nor do I want to,” he added.
Dr Simon’s story has been highlighted by the Frontline Heroes Office, which is aiming to strengthen community support and appreciate for frontline professionals.
