Out of Isolation!

 Brian remains stable with nothing new to report on his progress. (Progress will be measured mostly in weeks rather than days for some time.) The only change to report is his physician informed me that he is no longer in isolation! The standard procedure for Covid patients is to have them in isolation for approximately 20 days from the beginning of hospitalization. Around the 20 day mark, a council reviews the patient's charts and decides if a Covid patient can be considered safe to allow visitors to enter their room. Also, this allows medical staff to enter Brian's room without having to use the same level of protective gear. This means that he can now have an occasional healthy visitor (2 max. at a time). He is still heavily sedated most of the time for his comfort and to allow the machines to function at an optimum level. During the time of assessment, where his sedation is lowered to check for cognitive function, it is common for his oxygen levels to decrease. A good part of the time, medical staff are monitoring Brian, to figure out the right amount of sedation that will allow him to potentially be as alert as possible while also comfortable. Within the next few weeks, a tracheotomy will be used to replace the tube attached to the ventilator. This will be more comfortable for Brian and allow for less sedation.