Taylor Nichols, a physician with Jewish roots, who works with coronavirus patients in the United States, admitted that he did not want to treat one of the seriously ill after he saw neo-Nazi symbols among his tattoos. An employee of the medical institution told about this in his Twitter .
He noted that it was difficult not only for him to look at the tattoos – two more doctors were preparing the patient for intubation with him. “Our team consisted of a Jewish doctor, a black nurse and a respiratory therapist who was Asian [by birth]. And everyone [it] saw it. The hate symbols on his body proudly broadcast his looks. We all knew what he thought of us,” – wrote Nichols.
Describing the patient, the doctor noted that he was fat and no longer young. Due to the use of methamphetamine, he had almost no teeth. A swastika was tattooed on the man’s chest, among other tattoos were the symbols and emblems of the SS. The doctor admitted that at the sight of an elderly patient, conflicting emotions flooded him. He began to think about the last months of his life spent in isolation due to the fight against COVID-19. “Don’t let me die, doc,” Nichols recalled the patient’s words.
The doctor assured that he and his colleagues will do everything to save his life. However, in his post, the physician noted that at that moment he was thinking about whether that person would help him if he was in his place. “This was the first time I hesitated. The pandemic tired me. I realized that maybe I’m not okay,” concluded Nichols.
Talking about this case in an interview with the San Francisco Cronicle, the doctor admitted that he did not feel compassion for the patient when he first saw his tattoos. He said that he didn’t know if the man survived, but for his part, as a specialist, he did everything to help him before moving on to another patient.