DUPAGE COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) Jason Barbosa met the doctor who saved his life for the first time Monday.
In fact, the last time Dr Jeffrey Huml treated Barbosa, he was unconscious; COVID-19 forced him into a coma for six weeks.
Barbosa said his entire body shut down and the virus nearly killed him on several occasions. They told my family to say goodbye to me three times. They told them they were gonna disconnect me, he said.
But Barbosa survived and is on the long road to recovery. I am amazed. This is truly a miracle, said Dr. Huml of Northwestern Medicine.
We spoke with the husband, Tom Panocha, in December. They just did a really good job taking care of me, he said, becoming emotional. They treated me like a person, not an illness. So I appreciated what they did. They just did a real good job taking care of me, Panocha said. They treated me like a person, not an illness. It was almost two weeks before I found out that I had it and I really didn t think I was sick.
Doctor Ngozi Ezike, from the Illinois Department of Public Health spoke Sunday about the rapid spread of the virus.
CHICAGO (WLS) With Illinois starting Phase 1B of vaccinations Monday, there are new moves being made with the hopes of ramping up vaccine distribution as the country lags behind goals set by the Trump administration.
The next phase means anyone over 65 years old and a larger group of essential workers will be eligible for getting the COVID-19 vaccine. That group includes people in correctional facilities, grocery store workers, daycare workers and educators.
On January 25th Illinois takes a step forward to phase 1B in the state s Covid-19 vaccination plan.
While that s cause for some celebration, there are still concerns about the speed at which shots can be given out.
CHICAGO (WLS) The COVID-19 pandemic meant some first year healthcare workers had to make a specialty switch in a hurry.
Dr. Benjamin Johnson began his medical career at Swedish Covenant Hospital as an attending general surgeon on March 1, just days before the coronavirus hit. He immediately switched gears and volunteered to work in the ICU. I had training in that field and felt my risk was not as high for physicians qualified for that, he said.
But there wasn t any medical school training that prepared Johnson for treating COVID patients. It was the first time, as a doctor, I knew people were not going to make it and that was really tough, unable to have a good plan, especially talking to families, said Johnson.