Central PA Medicine Winter 2021 - 6

daup h i n cm s .org

President's Message

Celebrating Sacrifice
and Resilience

inally, 2020 is over, and we all
welcomed 2021 with hope and
expectations like never before. Never
before in living memory, have we
wished a year to go by so desperately.

Shyam Sabat, M.D.
President, DCMS

Let's feel better and stronger by remembering that our fathers and grandfathers
The frontline soldiers in the COVID-19
had weathered worse years - a pandemic war have been healthcare workers. As of Dein the early 1900s, two world wars, several cember 31, 2020, about 288,000 healthcare
outbreaks of smallpox and plague - to name professionals have contracted COVID and
some. Let's consider this as our century's 2900 have died in their line of duty. This
fair share of collective difficulty. When my is a tremendous sacrifice by them and also
children ask me what we get out of such their family members. The Dauphin County
horrible times, I told them what the 19th Medical Society gives a huge shout-out to our
century German philosopher Friedrich healthcare heroes. Brave healthcare workers
Nietzsche said, 'What does not kill you, including several of our DCMS members
makes you stronger.'
are actively involved in vaccine distribution
We are again facing lockdown and rising and rollout planning. Our physicians have
COVID cases in our Dauphin County. stood up to the test and upheld their HipThe 22/23 mutated strain was seen in the pocratic Oath. Now, we have to make sure
Philadelphia region in mid-January. But this the government appreciates the hard work
is the storm before the calm. There is more and sacrifice done by our physicians. I am
positive news than negative. These mutated working with my colleagues at the American
strains are more transmissible but not more Medical Association on passing an AMA
pathogenic than the original strain and are resolution to see that our physician heroes
effectively preventable by existing vaccines. get the due appreciation they deserve.
The biggest encouraging news is that we have
learned how to create, test, mass produce and
distribute a vaccine in record time. Moderna
Inc. created the COVID vaccine in 2 days,
and that too, over a weekend. Imagine how
much such capabilities are going to help us
in the future. Vaccine rollout is happening
rapidly in our state as well as our county.
But as is expected in such an extensive
effort, there are bound to be some glitches.
Rest assured, the PAMED and Dauphin
County Medical Society are working with
the administrative machinery to ensure
that the vaccines reach all our practicing

Winter 2021 Central PA Medicine

physicians, trainees, their patients and even
their loved ones in a timely fashion. Most
of our county physicians have received at
least 1 dose of the anti-COVID vaccine (I
like calling it the anti-COVID vaccine, to
dispel rumors that the vaccine is dangerous).

Dr. Sabat is a Neuroradiologist and is credentialed to
provide teleradiology services at several large PA hospital
systems. He serves as the President of the Dauphin County
Medical Society, has held leadership positions in the
early career section of the Pennsylvania Medical Society
and also represents Radiology at the American Medical
Association House of Delegates. He can be contacted by
emailing shyamsabat9@gmail.com.

http://www.dauphincms.org

Central PA Medicine Winter 2021

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