“We even had a few patients who joked about how hospitals intentionally kill people to make more space for patients with Covid-19.”

Destiny Williams, 26, is a fourth-year student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She was a recent college transfer student from Kansas State University when the COVID-19 pandemic began. She has started as a sport medicine intern and notices a shift in work dynamics between her coworkers and patients.

Joel Velez: How would you describe the current work environment at Froedtert hospital?

Destiny Williams: It has been a high influx of day-to-day Covid-19 cases with patients for months. We have had different conversations towards debating whether or not we should get vaccinated with the majority of my peers wanting everyone to get vaccinated. Personally, I did not want to get vaccinated due to having a medical reason but even if I did not have a medical excuse, I do not feel comfortable with having a man-made vaccine into my body.

Q: What are some challenges you and your hospital has faced with patients in regard to Covid-19 Misinformation?

A: We would have older patients come into the hospital with immediate remarks such “Oh why do I need to show whether or not I am vaccinated if I had received a booster shot from this hospital” towards initial follow-up Covid-19 follow-up questions after answering yes to the question “are you vaccinated?” The issue of Covid-19 Misinformation would escalate our communication dilemma with patients by constantly requesting security to answer any initial Covid-19 misinformation statements. We would have to reinforce consistent efforts with our patients to corporate in answering our pre-screening Covid-19 Questions. For our returning patients, we would have patients who had received full covid-19 vaccination at our hospital come back to the clinic with a mindset of believing they are completely immune to Covid-19 and that they should not feel required to answer any prescreening Covid-19 questions when they come inside our office.

Q: Could you to explain specific circumstances where Covid-19 misinformation had impacted your personal and professional life?

A: Most definitely. At Froedtert’s hospital there is constant debate about Covid-19 specifically after experiencing with Covid-19 complications. Personally, it has not taken a toll on my mental health from going through specific situations surrounding Covid-19 misinformation, however the most intense experience I had talking about Covid-19 complications was when my close friend and cousin had a debate on whether the virus is a hoax or not followed by asking “how many people have died due to Covid-19 complications?” within the debate. My close friend did not like the answer I gave to the question and responded with disbelief on the high number of reported deaths from Covid-19 complications from Froedtert’s hospital. From a professional standpoint, a lot of our patients who would return to the hospital would automatically challenge against our procedure for re-explaining information on Covid-19 by immediately mentioning Covid-19 conspiracies such as joking about how hospitals intentionally put a lot of Covid-19 dosage into the Covid-19 vaccines. We even had a few patients who had joked about how a couple of hospitals including Froedtert’s hospital “intentionally kill people to make more space for patients who are diagnosed with Covid-19.

Q: How has Covid-19 Misinformation impacted your relationship with friends and family?

A: I personally have treated Covid-19 like I would with any other medical conditions where it has not caused me to feel fatigue or extremely stressed. For my relationship with my family, Covid-19 has not ruined my family dynamic even when me and all of my family members are very strongly opinioned. To this day we continue to respect each other’s wishes and reasonings as to our decision on whether to get the vaccine or not. I personally treat Covid-19 as a common flu to where I follow the standard protocol for handling Covid-19 symptoms and intentionally shift my focus towards overcoming stress and frustrations I would experience from close friends when it comes to Covid-19 misinformation

Q: Who or what are your biggest inspirations for navigating through Covid-19 misinformation as someone apart of the minority community?

A: To help me get through the toughest moments of my life within my career, I would always think about the outcome as in always look to carry on the thought of “completing this task would help serve my community” and that overcoming these in-the-moment challenges will help pave the way to enjoying the fruits of my labor.

Q: What are your thoughts on social media contributing to the cause of spreading Covid-19 or medical misinformation as a medical worker?

A: I feel that social media is a leading cause for spreading covid-19 misinformation as I personally feel that these digital platforms give rise to people who proclaim themselves as being a doctor even when they do not possess a medical degree. Personally, I see social media to be a place that instigates Covid-19 Misinformation by having people make claims such as “we need to stock up on buying toilet paper for this pandemic that can go on for years” and have them scapegoat out of the conversation without forcing them to clarify their statement. I feel that a lot of doctors often play a role into feeding Covid-19 misinformation by choosing to not speak or provide clarity into correcting medical misinformation statements surrounding Covid-19 vaccines.