As an Intensive Care Unit technician, a Guyanese working at the New York Presbyterian Hospital, had witnessed firsthand the dreadful impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
However, she soon found her life transformed when she contracted the virus.
The technician, who spoke with Stabroek News on condition of anonymity, described the experience of caring for the patients as mentally and physically draining and said it was hard caring for them while knowing that there was little or nothing that could be done for them.
She explained that her duties, which normally include blood work, electrocardiogram testing, and the feeding and bathing of patients, resulted in her forming a bond with them.
“It hurts,” she said, “because you have become their family members. No one is allowed to visit, so seeing them there one time then the next they are gone, is devastating.”
She noted that it reached a point where healthcare workers have had to make decisions about who will be placed on a ventilator and who will not, and most often, the elderly and those with underlying conditions are the ones who .
After she contracted the virus herself some three weeks ago, she said her life has been transformed. She recalled that the third, fourth and fifth days being the most difficult, but noted that it was her support system that got her through.
The technician, who is currently still recovering from the virus and is practically living in her bedroom, said that she is uncertain how or where she contracted the virus, but believes that she had enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent her from contracting it from her patients.
When asked about how she felt about returning to work, she said, “I love my job, but going back to work and constantly wearing face mask is a stressful feeling.”
The healthcare worker, who considers herself “a lucky COVID-19 survivor,” said many times she has cried going home just thinking about how the virus has destroyed people. Nonetheless, she said she was thankful for members of the support team at work, whom she said have helped each other through many hard times.
As a healthcare worker, she wishes to encourage her fellow Guyanese to stay home unless they have an urgent reason to leave your home. “This is no joke. You can die, period!” she said.
She also encouraged everyone to pay attention to social distancing and using a face mask. She added that if anyone has already contracted the virus, it is best to try to keep active, practice deep breathing and use lots of hot fluids.
The scariest experience
Meanwhile, a Guyanese nurse attached to Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, a hospital and nursing home in Brooklyn, said, “When we first heard about the virus, no one really knew what to expect.”
However, when the virus first began affecting the facility, officials made the decision to turn the nursing home into a COVID-19 unit.
“It was the scariest experience,” the woman, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, told Stabroek News, while noting that as concerns were raised about sourcing adequate PPE to protect staff members, many feared whether they were enough staff to fight the deadly virus.
She recalled before the ending of a particular eight-hour shift there were four persons confirmed dead with the virus and that the pattern continued throughout the week, causing many to fear for their own safety.
She said it was challenging attending to COVID-19 patients, since some of them refused to wear face masks and would cough and sneeze when nurses where checking vitals and caring for them. This, she added, affected her psychologically, since she too has loved ones she needed to protect.
She informed the newspaper that it got to the stage where PPE were so limited that healthcare workers were using the same gown, N95 mask and face shield for an entire shift.
As the virus began to spread even more, healthcare workers became more afraid and as a result, staff began staying home.
She explained that at one point there were over 20 ambulances bringing patients to the emergency room and with limited gear available the staff saw co-workers and family members soon becoming infected with the virus. This, she said, took a mental toll on everyone, to the extent that some co-workers were “begging God to end this virus”.
She added that doctors are being forced to determine who lives and that officials are now turning towards using large freezer trucks to make a temporary morgue behind the hospital.
She stressed her concern, about persons still not taking the virus as seriously as they should and pleaded with persons to take every precaution to be safe.