Dr Carol Liew, a veterinarian at Companion Animal Surgery in Singapore, shares her experience:
“The Covid-19 pandemic has turned the world upside down, posing one of the greatest challenges humanity has ever faced. Despite this, the veterinary industry marches on and we continue to provide essential services for animal health and wellbeing.
“With the circuit breaker (lock down) in place, our work has become more intense as only emergencies and urgent medical cases come through our door. I work 12 hour shifts for half a week; day or night, rotating with a second team in place. Working in split teams means I don’t see half my colleagues in person; I miss seeing their faces and having lunch and laughs together during downtime. Discussing cases in writing and reporting images is limited to the capacity of mobile devices. This has not affected the standard of care we give to our patients and it has been a privilege to provide essential services during these tumultuous times.
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“The safety measures were a challenge at first – from tele-triaging patients and managing worried pet owners on the phone to crowd-controlling distressed clients during emergencies but I am grateful for our accommodating and supportive clients, who occasionally bring us snacks to help sustain us for the day. And the amazing team I work closely with have been troopers during this time—their positivity, light-hearted jokes and Tik Tok dances overcome stressful moments.
“Outside work, family time and staying active are keys to my sanity. I’m an outdoorsy person but these activities are not possible for now so I am channelling my inner bookworm and endeavouring to finish books I started a few years (yes, years) ago. Grocery shopping is reduced to twice weekly and we make sure all purchases are sanitised on arrival. Coming from a food-centric family, a major plus to this change is the quality time spent together trying out new recipes and encouraging one another to burn off the calories. My friends and I participate in online group workouts and yoga sessions as means of catching up and keeping fit together.
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“This period of ‘covid-isolation’ doesn’t have to be a lonely and depressing journey. It has been a highly reflective period in my life, teaching me to embrace the lemons life throws at us and make the most of it all. With the world in chaos, I look out of my window and appreciate the beauty around us, and am thankful for new opportunities that lie ahead.”
If you have a COVID-19 story you’d like to share – perhaps an example of One Health in action or of how your practice is adapting to the crisis – or if you’d like to explain how the virus is affecting veterinary practice in your country, please tell us. We would really like to know. Please contact Emma van Rooijen with your story.