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Dr. Jeremy Harris is hoping for a COVID vaccine.
"You don't have to be a doctor to wish for that because everyone is hoping for it," said the vascular surgeon.
"That's because it's hard to imagine we can get back to normal, with anything, until there is a vaccine."
When Kelowna General Hospital braced for COVID patients in March and April and elective surgeries were postponed, Dr. Harris didn't have to cancel many operations.
"For surgery, I tend to deal with urgent vascular cases such as patients bleeding to death, so they definitely weren't postponed," he said.
"But what was different is a group of surgeons, including me, were prepared to take over trauma cases in case doctors that usually dealt with them were overwhelmed with COVID cases in the ER and respiratory unit."
In the end, the local hospital, luckily, wasn't swamped with COVID cases.
"But I learned a lot about what others here at the hospital do through the whole process," said Dr. harris.
"Medical care is certainly a team game, so I appreciate the hundreds of other people needed for me to do a surgery. I'm thanking other people a lot more often now."
Challenges create opportunities, and Dr. Harris is thankful for the telehealth efficiencies that have emerged in the pandemic's wake.
"If an appointment can be done by phone or Zoom we do that," he said.
"I think patients, especially if they are from Cranbrook or somewhere a else in the region, appreciate that and not having to take a whole day or overnight to come to a routine appointment."
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