THE IMPACT OF COVID-19
Throughout the beginning of 2020, the coronavirus pandemic amplified the high pressure put on staff in intensive care units. Usually in these wards a range of critical illnesses are seen. However, with such a surge of COVID-19 cases, wards dedicated to this one virus have been opened. Most people in these wards need ventilators to survive, and everyone treating patients needs gear to protect them from being infected and ending up in the beds themselves. Hospitals around the world have witnessed strain on these facilities, including limitations in the personal protective equipment (PPE) needed to continue working safely. One of the most heartbreaking struggles in these tailored wards is the lack of contact with the outside world. While visiting family and friends often make up a substantial percentage of people in the ICU, no visitors are allowed in COVID wards. These unsettling times mean survival is the only way to see loved ones again. For others it has meant having to hear of lives lost with no chance to say their goodbyes.
“Everyone treating patients needs gear to protect them”