The isolation of COVID

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By JESSIE HORTON
August 8, 2020

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is written with the permission of the family of Dr. Moore’s patient. While the family said publishing their name would be okay, Moore and The Flash have chosen to not name them during their time of mourning.

ERATH COUNTY — The COVID-19 testing tent is a strange place to make a friend, but Erath County Health Authority Dr. Jeffrey Moore said it’s exactly what happened. 

“In late July I was running the testing tent at SMSC when a man in his 70’s came in for testing and we just hit it off,” Moore said. “He was easy to talk to and we just kind of clicked. I wasn’t his regular doctor, but since I’d administered the test, I followed his progress and kept in touch throughout.”

Unfortunately, the man’s test came back positive and Moore said his new friend was only sick a few days when he came down with pneumonia and took a turn for the worse. 

“He got pneumonia and was hospitalized here in Stephenville first,” Moore recalled. “Then he was sent from here to Fort Worth where the staff there did a tremendous job, but he didn’t make it. He passed away this week and was the latest death counted in Erath County. While I believed it to be true before, this instance has left a deep impression on me about this pandemic – the isolation can be terrible.”

Moore said the isolation factor is something that most don’t consider when thinking about Coronavirus, but it has a lasting impression on a person’s health. He said this pandemic has shown evidence the isolation is has much a hindrance to a patient’s health as anything else involved.

“This family said they were unable to be with their husband and father, no one was allowed in to sit with him or to hold his hand,” Moore said. “It wasn’t until the very end, unfortunately, when the doctors knew he wasn’t going to make it, the family was able to come in and be with him and say goodbye. While they tell me he was able to hear them and they are forever grateful for that, they say not being with him before was awful.”

Moore gives credit to staff members around the world who work with these patients and give them care and comfort when family isn’t allowed in, but he said he believes nothing can give a patient what a loved one can in the way of comfort. Moore feels for, not only his new friend and his family, but also for all those who have to fight this disease, especially alone. 

“I cannot imagine how hard that is, on the patient, on the family, and I just want folks to think about that when they’re making decisions with their health and the health of others around them,” Moore concluded. “No one wants to be sick and fighting such a scary disease at all, but alone is even worse and it’s part of Coronavirus. The isolation of it makes everything more difficult.”

Folks, please, think about those you love and how hard it would be not to be with them during such a time before doing something careless.


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1 Comment

  1. Prayers for this Family during the loss of a Loved one. May God Bless them and give them Peace, Comfort and Guidance. May God also Bless Dr. Jeffrey Moore with all the compassion that he shows to all the people who have came to him for their health or anything else. Jesus Name Amen.

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