Tuesday, March 02, 2021

Covid-19: Death Through The Eyes Of Nurses

Sometimes when the sun shines, and it almost feels like Spring, I can feel the optimism in the air. The feeling that we have finally turned the corner in the war on Covid-19.

There are fewer Covid patients in our ICUs. The number of deaths is going down. The number of vaccinated Canadians is steadily growing.

But I also know that all kinds of variants are spreading like wildfire.

And that while many of us have been damaged by the pandemic, in one way or the other.

Some have been hit harder than others.

It’s been almost a year since nursing home workers began fighting on the front lines of COVID-19 – a year of extreme trauma.

They’ve seen seniors they care for suffer in fear and loneliness during lockdowns. They’ve seen residents fall catastrophically ill, and seen too many of them die: more than 19,000 people in Canada have been killed by COVID-19, more than 17,000 of them aged over 60 years and the majority of those deaths occurring in long-term care homes. 
They’ve seen the bodies – too many bodies. 

They’ve fielded the panicked calls and pleas from families anxious with prolonged separation from their loved ones and full of grief for those they’ve lost. They’ve watched colleagues fall ill with the deadly virus, suffer long-haul symptoms or, in far too many cases, die tragically young.

And it's not only the nursing home workers, many ICU nurses are also on the verge of catastrophic burnout, exhausted, and worn down by the long fight against the deadly enemy that just keeps on coming.

It's hard to describe what that fight is like, because reporters and camera crews aren't welcome in ICUs.

But a hospital in Arizona allowed nurses to wear cameras in their ICU, and I found their story really moving.

 

few months ago, I read an article that suggested that most people will probably forget the Covid pandemic almost as soon as it's over.

Like so many did after the 1918 Spanish flu, anxious to put the horror behind them.

But the dead will be remembered by those who loved them.

And the heroes who risked their lives to save so many, must never ever be forgotten...



6 comments:

rumleyfips said...

Something to remember the next time some asshole like Harris, or MacNeil or Kenny tries to cut funding for health care workers then askes you to vote for them.

Anonymous said...

That was a very moving video, Simon. No doubt repeated in ICUs across America. It should not have been that way. When I heard that trump and the wife had secretly gotten the vaccine back in December I was livid. Everything he could possibly have done to make the pandemic worse, he did. The contempt I feel for him is palpable and I hope he rots in hell for what he's done.
JD

Anonymous said...

Both the physical and psychological scars from this pandemic run deep and hopefully there will be a collective healing process rather than the "Me" crowd rushing forward to the next disaster while leaving the victims to deal with their grief as best they can. Thanks for the post Simon, if we can't take time to acknowledge and reflect on the magnitude of this disaster, who suffered the most and why, there is little hope of avoiding the next one.

RT

Simon said...

Hi rumleyfips...Wehave a serious shortage of nurses in this country. Cons always think they are dispensable, not realizing or not willing to realize that nurses keep hospitals running even in non-Covid times. A government that doesn't make healthcare its number one priority is not a government anyone should support...

Simon said...

Hi JD...Yes, I was glad the NYT made that video. And what I liked most was how it showed the care nurses have for their dying patients. They are not just numbers. I know of many cases where nurses hold the hands of dying patients, unwilling to let them die alone. It also shows the emotional strain the pandemic is causing, and don't forget that many nurses live in fear of infecting their families. I have always admired them, they will always be my heroes...

Simon said...

Hi RT....Many healthcare workers are already suffering from PTSD, or are on the verge of catastrophic burnout. But still they report for duty. And of course then there are the families and loved ones of the dead who never got a chance to comfort them in their last hours. It's a horribly cruel situation, and my heart goes out to all of them. But you're right, the best thing we can do to honour all of them is make sure we invest in our health services, and prepare for the next one, for it will come...