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- A Michigan doctor shared 8 interactions he had with severely ill COVID-19 patients in a Facebook post.
- The patients decried the severity of the pandemic and questioned his medical advice.
- Dr. Matthew Trunsky told The Washington Post 6 of those patients have died.
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A Michigan pulmonologist recounted interactions with eight patients who were severely suffering from COVID-19 while they ignored the reality of the virus in a Facebook post.
On Friday, Dr. Matthew Trunsky, the director of the palliative care unit at a Beaumont Health network hospital in Troy, Michigan, told The Washington Post six of those eight patients have since died.
In his September 11 Facebook post, Trunsky said some of the patients denied having the virus, requested unproven and unapproved treatments like ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine, or even said: "I'd rather die than take the vaccine."
"This is not to mention the anger the people have towards the physicians [and] the nurses who are really doing our best – and who are delivering exceptionally excellent care," Trunsky wrote. "Of course the answer was to have been vaccinated – but they were not and now they're angry at the medical community for their failure. Numbers are on the rise. Get your vaccine."
Trunsky told the Post he estimates 90% of the patients he treats are unvaccinated. He said he and other healthcare workers are burnt out and he is especially saddened by the number of patients who have died from COVID-19 during the span of the pandemic.
"We are physically tired as a whole, me included, and we are emotionally exhausted. … I don't think a week goes by that I don't see someone pass away," Trunsky told the Post.
Several studies have shown that somewhere between 20% to 30% of healthcare workers are considering leaving the profession because of burnout, CNBC reported.
Trunsky said while the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in December gave him hope that the situation would get better, that turned around as the Delta variant spread and cases rose again, mostly among the unvaccinated.
He told the Post while some unvaccinated patients say they regret not getting their shots, others are adamant in their choice, even on their deathbeds.
So far, 55.3% of the overall US population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease and Prevention.
While around 64.3% of the population has had at least one shot, there are still around 70 million eligible Americans who have not been vaccinated.
"They are paying the price, and they are getting mad at us," Trunsky told the Post.
The two other patients Trunsky wrote about remain in critical condition.