Faces of the Fight from Dr. Susan Shaw: Fourth wave triggering staff burnout

Like many of you I was holding out hope that by this point in the pandemic, we would be through the worst and our lives would be somewhat returning to some form of “normal.”

We saw glimmers of this only last month. But since then, the Delta variant has gained a firm foothold in our province. It spreads quicker and makes people sicker than the original COVID-19 strain. Between the first week of July and the last week of August, the number of new cases rose from a weekly average of 28 to a weekly average 248 – a 786 per cent increase. Over the same time, hospitalizations and ICU occupancy due to COVID have tripled!

We’ve seen COVID-19 cases rise before, throughout the previous three waves of the pandemic. But this time it’s different. It’s preventable. Vaccine is widely available and effective. Two doses of the vaccine combined with masking, distancing and hand hygiene and we are well positioned to control the virus.

The solution seems simple to many of us: just roll up your sleeves.

This is why so many of us are perplexed and frustrated by the hundreds of thousands of people in Saskatchewan who choose to remain unvaccinated, risking very real, sometimes deadly, consequences.

We see these people in intensive care every day. They’re fighting for their lives. Some make it. Sadly, some don’t. Ninety-five per cent of ICU admissions in July were among those who were unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, and 100 per cent of deaths were among the unvaccinated. In August, over 85 per cent of ICU admissions were unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, and 12 of the 22 people who died in August were unvaccinated.

Their suffering is real and, for those with regrets, their remorse is heartbreaking. Some ask, “Can you make sure my family gets their vaccine.” Most, however, can no longer tell us how they feel because they are so breathless they can’t talk. Like many of my colleagues, I’ve also looked after people who didn’t think COVID19 was a real disease, those who were vaccine hesitant because they had unanswered questions and those who weren’t able to access the vaccine.

We are not here to judge. We are here to help – helping others is why I and my colleagues became health-care professionals. But this wave of the pandemic is testing our resolve. Front-line health care workers are beyond tired. We’re frustrated, angry, worried and sad. What I’m seeing among many of us, and I’m paying attention to myself, too, is compassion fatigue.

Our emotional and physical tanks are close to empty and there’s no time to refuel and regenerate.

Burnout is real and it’s concerning. Staff who experience burnout are not fully present, not as able to do their work and, as a result, less safe. Some of us are leaving our chosen professions and others are retiring early to escape the stress. This is a genuine worry for us.

We have strategies within the health care system and the health authority is focused on providing essential supports. This is needed. What we also need is to tackle the root cause – our province’s low rate of vaccination.

We are here for you when you need us. We need you to be here for us, too. Please do your part to stop this preventable virus. If you have questions, talk to your family physician or care provider. Practice masking and infection and prevention measures and, above all, get vaccinated.