Going Viral: The Unsung Heroes
Amidst the chaos of the coronavirus outbreak in China, photos of medical personnel are circulating on social media, showing doctors and nurses with painful marks left from their protective face masks as they fall asleep on the floors of the hospital after punishingly long shifts.
Workers must wear protective gear that is very heavy and tightly secured to help prevent infection. The suits and face masks have left many hospital workers with sores and blisters on their faces and bodies.
Nurses in China, and other affected countries and regions, are at the frontline of detecting, managing and preventing the spread of the virus. They are working incredibly hard and long hours, with both courage and compassion, in extremely difficult and stressful circumstances. Putting on a brave face, they are treating anxious patients with tender care.
To deal with the high number of incoming patients, staff at some hospitals work 10-hour shifts, and they are not permitted to eat, drink, take a seat or any sort of break, or even use the toilet. At the end of the shift, when the protective gear is off, their clothes are soaked in sweat, and their foreheads, noses, necks and face are left with deep marks and cuts.
Some medical staff in Wuhan took to social media to share photos of the marks and bruises left on their faces from the protective gear they have to wear round the clock. The photos, which have left many people emotional, show not only the facial wounds left from wearing the necessary protective gear, but also the physical and mental exhaustion of medical personnel.
Chinese media have reported that the medical personnel at the epicentre of the virus outbreak were working nonstop. Many staff members are said to be so exhausted that they fall asleep right on their hospital chairs and floors instead of going home before starting yet another gruelling shift.