Former astronaut, ER doctor more concerned about catching COVID-19 than when he went to space

Emergency room doctor and former astronaut Bill Fisher confirmed in an interview that he is more concerned about catching coronavirus than he was when he launched into space. 

The doctor said during a live interview with Fox News’s Kristin Fisher, his daughter, that the pandemic is just beginning to hit the Houston area, where he works, “full force.”

“You told me that you were more concerned about catching COVID-19 than you were on the day that you launched into space. What is the mood around your emergency rooms among other doctors and nurses? Are they also that worried?” Kristin Fisher asked the emergency room doctor.

“There’s an apprehension, and that apprehension leans towards very fastidious personal care. Everyone’s got masks and gowns and face masks and gloves, but everyone’s very careful. I mean we know this thing’s coming and it can be deadly,” he responded.

Fisher also tweeted the concern earlier this week, saying that there is a 1.5 percent mortality rate among shuttle launches and 9 percent to 12 percent among coronavirus patients.

I’m a full-time ER doc getting ready to work a 24 hour shift in the emergency department. I am genuinely more concerned about going to work tomorrow morning than I was the day I launched on the space shuttle. 1.5% shuttle mortality vs 9-12% if I get COVID-19.

— Dr. Bill Fisher (@DrBillFisher) April 1, 2020

Fisher, 74, said Saturday all physicians “have to assume that every patient we see is positive for the virus because so many can be asymptomatic and transmit it. So if you come in with a sprained ankle, you’re wearing a mask, I’m in full garb, and I have to assume that everybody is a potential transmitter of this disease.” 

“To abandon the ship in the middle of the greatest public health crisis of our lifetimes is inconceivable to me. I can‘t imagine doing that. This is what we’ve trained for. This is the big show, and I can’t imagine fading into the background,” he continued.

Fisher also said that the “playbook” for the pandemic is “still being written,” as health care professionals try to “do the best we can with what we have here.” 

Kristin Fisher shared a photo of her father wearing a mask, gloves and lab coat last month. 

This is my Dad. He’s a 73 year old Emergency Room physician in Texas who loves his job and will never retire.
He texted me this picture tonight after I’d asked him how he was doing, and I burst into tears the second I saw it. My reaction came out of nowhere… pic.twitter.com/YOiMT5sImy

— Kristin Fisher (@KristinFisher) March 17, 2020

As of Saturday, there are over 300,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. and over 8,264 deaths.