Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone on the planet; the lives of billions of people came to a halt both literally and figuratively. Some adapted and safely self-isolated in the comfort of their homes, while others had to toil to the point of exhaustion to maintain a flicker of hope that someday it will be over. Naturally, the doctors are at the forefront of this battle, saving lives and providing care for those who contracted the virus. The New Yorker magazine dedicated an article to three brave medical workers, who decided to volunteer in New York hospitals, hit the harshest in the U.S. The New Yorker article is accompanied by an image that shows a doctor standing against the background of a gray wall. This image reflects the desolate state of the world in 2020 and the vital role of doctors as the major agents of change.
Main body
Even before the pandemic, rarely could one find a person who would dispute doctors’ importance, but this year’s events have reminded everyone of this fact once again. People worldwide suddenly realized that in such uncertain times, their lives like never before depend on medics. Sports stars, pop artists, and actors have, for a moment, become the heroes of the past replaced by the heroes of the now – doctors. Some of them worked without necessary PPE in the early hours of the crisis; others came out of retirement, some, like the Edwardses from the New Yorker article, had to leave behind their families. Meanwhile, societies instantly recognized their new heroes and found ways to celebrate them; for example, in Italy, thousands of people gathered on their balconies to applaud the doctors (Mackenzie). This gives one grounds to assume that the lone figure of Scott Aberegg in the image, in part, serves as a recognition of the extraordinary feat of bravery demonstrated by all the courageous medical workers.
Many doctors exposed to the most extreme situations during the pandemic crisis have suffered real-life consequences in terms of their health, and especially mental health. Figuratively speaking, the pale, bleak tones and the lifeless setting of the photo may aim to convey the inner state of mind of many medical workers during this challenging time. A new study carried out with the help of COVID-19 doctors revealed: “potential risk factors for medical health workers to develop insomnia, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and somatization” (Zhang et al. 245). This is echoed in the New Yorker article, where one of the doctors confesses that he was tired to the point where he was not able to do another shift. Working non-stop for several days, complete unfamiliarity with the virus, close contacts with patients with COVID-19, all of these factors contribute to psychological distress, which develops in many medical health workers. The New Yorker article’s photo perfectly illustrates this mental struggle endured by medical personnel through the limited use of colors and a concrete wall representing emotional and physical load.
Nevertheless, despite all the support towards medical workers shown by the general public, there were rare instances of pressuring doctors into silence by different government bodies. For example, when a researcher from China wrote an article asking the international community for assistance, the officials stated, “the letter was seriously inconsistent with facts and demanded the authors to apologize and retract it” (Zhu 1873). This reveals another side of being a doctor during the 2020 pandemic, dealing with the risk of going against the government’s stance. Such situations show the weakness of medical personnel in the face of big governmental bodies that are trying to conceal certain information from the public eye. Choosing between telling the truth and coming under fire for it is not something that should exist in the modern world, but the recent events clearly demonstrate that such instances are still present. Returning to the photo, one may get the impression that this image can also stand for doctors’ fragility expressed through a lonely doctor and the gray wall representing a giant state.
Conclusion
The New Yorker article follows the story of only three medical workers, but many others have evidently lived such a story during this pandemic. Fearless heroes who are fighting against the invisible enemy and saving the lives of millions of people. This is why the image accompanying this article is not just a photo of Scott Aberegg; it is a figure representing the state of the world during the virus crisis. The significant advantage of this image is that it presents a plethora of possible renditions that may significantly vary. Nevertheless, probably, the main idea here is to show the strength of the biggest heroes of 2020 – medical workers. Sacrificing their time, effort, and health, they continue to wade through all the hurdles and difficulties, at times, brought by their own governments. They are leading their fight practically alone, which is again stressed by the article’s image, giving hope to all of us.
Works Cited
Mackenzie, James. “Italians Defy Coronavirus with Mass Singing, Applause for Doctors.” Reuters, 2020, Web.
Zhang, Wen-rui, et al. “Mental Health and Psychosocial Problems of Medical Health Workers During the COVID-19 Epidemic in China.” Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, vol. 1, no. 9, 2020, pp. 242-250. Karger, Web.
Zhu, Junhong. “Is It Ethical to Be a “Whistleblower” During COVID-19 Pandemic? Ethical Challenges Confronted by Health Care Workers in China.” Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol. 76, no. 8, 2020, pp. 1873-1875 Wiley Online Library, Web.