Diving in the Era of COVID-19
The following is an article written by Dr. Douglas Ebersole – physician, technical dive instructor, and a recovered COVID-19 patient. As a medical advisor to the training agency RAID, he was asked to write an article about this latest epidemic. Dr. Ebersole’s unique perspective provides for an interesting and informative read on COVID-19 and how it relates to scuba diving. It has been shared with permission from the author.
I come to you as a recreational and technical diving instructor, as a physician consultant for Divers Alert Network, and as a COVID-19 survivor. For me, was just an occupational hazard. I tested positive for COVID-19 after seeing a patient in my cardiology clinic for an unrelated condition who seemed quite short of breath. He was admitted to the ICU and tested positive for COVID-19. Thankfully, he did not require a ventilator and recovered after approximately two weeks in the hospital. I was notified of his positive test one week after my exposure. As I had been wearing my N95 mask when I saw him, I was advised to take my temperature daily and self monitor for symptoms. I did well for a few days and then began developing a cough and profound fatigue followed by fever. I ended up testing positive and spent the next couple of weeks quarantined at home. I have Read More.