An Cosantóir

19 first taste of the privilege of looking after real patients. We were blessed to have fantastic members, both PDF and RDF, among the ranks of the medical company whose knowledge and professionalism in pre-hospital medicine spurred many of us on to pursue careers in healthcare. Several past and current members of the medical companies are part of the current national and international COVID-19 response, working as paramedics, pharmacists, nurses, healthcare assistants and doctors at home and abroad. I initially studied microbiology in college before undertaking medicine. The pre-hospital and first aid skills that I learned through the RDF stood me in good stead throughout. After graduation I embarked on a career in hospital medicine where I got to experience working as part of the Infectious Diseases specialty. I enjoyed getting to know and look after the wide variety of patients, many of whom can have complex medical and social needs that require the expertise of the infectious diseases team. I also enjoyed working with fantastic, dedicated and enthusiastic colleagues and consultants, many of whom are now at the forefront of the national COVID-19 response. This experience, coupled with my interest in microbiology, led me to embark on a career as a trainee specialist in Infectious Diseases. As part of my training, I have been based at St. James's Hospital, the largest teaching hospital in Ireland, for the past 3 years where I have been a member of the genitourinary medicine and infectious diseases (GUIDe) department. For the last 2 years I have been undertaking research in the area of human papillomavirus infection in HIV positive people at St. James's, and in the last year I have been lucky enough to marry this research with a teaching post in Trinity College Dublin, where I am currently a clinical lecturer for medical students. With the arrival of COVID19 to these shores my research work has been postponed and I have come back to the clinical fold to work alongside members of the fantastic GUIDe department at the frontline. We have restructured our service at St. James's Hospital, and along with our respiratory and intensive care colleagues, have been looking after patients with COVID19 since March. At the moment we have between 60 and 100 patients with COVID-19 under our care on dedicated COVID wards. Approximately 80% of people diagnosed with this illness suffer a mild disease course and get better on their own, however, up to 20% end up requiring hospital admission for supportive care and, in severe cases, ICU admission. Unfortunately, there is as of yet no evidence-based treatments available for patients with COVID-19 and a vaccine is, at best, months away. As infectious diseases physicians, our role is to look after and offer supportive care to those who need it and to identify patients who are deteriorating and facilitate ICU admission when needed. My colleagues in infectious disease are at the forefront of COVID-19 research in Ireland, with all of us in the specialty helping to contribute to ongoing research into antibody testing and immunity to the virus. We are also looking to understand the immune system's response to COVID-19 infection to help find out why some people suffer far more severe illness than others. In the coming weeks, our hospital and several others around the country will be participating in international clinical trials to compare the efficacy of different treatments for hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19 illness. It's a privilege to serve with colleagues throughout the healthcare system, the Defence Forces and all the public services in looking after the most vulnerable and helping to protect the country in these challenging times. RESERVE SUPPORT TO «OPERATION FORTITUDE»

• Cover