The whole world came to a standstill when the pandemic COVID-19 began to disrupt the normal lives of people. Most of the public started working from home, transited online for a lot of activities, and experienced difficulties physically and mentally. Among such a population there was a group of people who were out there on the ground battling the virus – the Frontline Workers. The doctors and nurses worked day and night to take care of the infected COVID-19 patients and risked their life for other. A Nurse from a well-known hospital in Hyderabad who prefers to be known as Rose shared her journey of working since the pandemic started.
Credits: Dhanush
Rose said, “I wouldn’t say it was an easy job to work during the pandemic but I was happy to be of help to the people who were suffering from COVID-19. We took a lot of precautions while working in the COVID ward. Many patients were admitted and as a citizen, I felt it was my duty to serve others. PPE kits were an issue because it was uncomfortable but slowly, we got used to it. In the end, it was for our protection. It has now become a part of our profession.”
The frontline worker shared about the ordeals of wearing a PPE kit especially when the risk of infection is high. “Since COVID-19 began I worked for 4-5 months in the COVID ward. I never felt bad about working since it is a part and parcel of my profession. The only constraint was wearing the PPE kits. Once we wear the kit there are two problems we cannot eat or drink nor use the washrooms. This is where I faced difficulty but we plan our work before wearing the PPE kits. I used to eat or drink and visit washrooms before wearing the kit to stay throughout my duty and not infect ourselves as well as the surroundings,” she added.
Rose also mentioned her ways of taking precautions throughout the time. She said, “The place where I work is a well-established area and hardly there are any chances of infection. I used to keep my distance from the social crowd because I had to interact with my family and I don’t mingle much with any crowd when I am not working.”
One of the most challenging parts of being a nurse or a doctor is witnessing the suffering of human beings. Rose shared, “It is a difficult job because you see patients suffering from different symptoms of the virus. Some were asymptomatic, some had mild symptoms, some had difficulties in breathing and some would land in serious conditions. Many kinds of patients are admitted but we have to prioritise and help them based on their health conditions.”
She said, “In the initial phase, we have to treat them and observe if there are any deteriorations in their condition. We had to shift wards according to the conditions. Serious patients were kept in RICU if they required oxygen support, ventilatory support, or direct observation.”
Rose added, “Another thing is people don’t come and help the patients out because they are scared about getting infected. We also don’t entertain the relatives who can come and help them because this is a virus unlike other diseases and can cause serious cases.”
During such difficult times, the nurse said that they looked after the basic needs of the patients. She said, “We made sure to take care of them, make a connection with them and many of them had phones to stay in touch with their families. They could entertain themselves by watching something. We made sure they weren’t feeling compelled to stay here and slowly some people who didn’t have much of the symptoms after the treatment became asymptomatic could choose to go home. They could home quarantine.”
“Our profession isn’t very easy, where ever we work we handle human beings and not machines so naturally, we have to be very careful the way we look after the health of the patient as well as ourselves,” add the Nurse.
Rose shared how she took care of herself after returning from the hospital. “When I come back home, I hardly touch anywhere, firstly I disinfect the dress which I am wearing, go for a bath and then interact with the family members. I used to not talk much and keep a check on my health for any symptoms. During working in the COVID ward I had done an RTPCR test also but now I am vaccinated,” she said.
She explained about the air of anxiousness felt by the workers in her profession. Rose said, “Every new thing causes anxiety, and corona has disrupted the whole world and its regime. Initially, we were anxious that we might also contract the virus since it is very contagious. We had overcome the fear and we were determined to do our work. Eventually, we learnt to do the work better. In a situation like now, we have to come out of fear and fight the disease.”
However, more than the frontline workers the admitted patients were stressed and anxious but the nurses and doctors did their part to keep them going. “Patients were more anxious than us because we knew better about the disease and its outcomes since we were seeing a lot of people. But for the patients, they are scared of the disease and become more anxious. We support them, keep them motivated to fight the disease, and come out of it. We ensure that they are hydrated and their surroundings are clean,” said Rose.
She expressed, “The situation was better but now the third wave has started. I am now going back to the COVID ward for duty. My routine will be the same once again. The only way we can get rid of the virus is by taking precautions.”
Rose has a request for the public. She said, “I would like to advise the public that they don’t take the virus casually. It can infect you without your knowledge and be very dreadful causing mortality. Be careful and take all precautions to avoid COVID-19. It is important to wear masks, I see people roaming without masks even in the crowd they are least bothered to protect themselves. They feel they can’t be attacked by the virus.”
She added, “I understand it is not comfortable to wear a mask and breathe. Everybody likes to breathe easily. But we are coming into an era where we are supposed to live with such unknown diseases. We have no idea what we have to face in the future. So, all precautions must be taken, wash your hands when you come from outside, take a good bath, wear a mask, carry a sanitiser and avoid touching surfaces. Take care of ourselves so that we don’t infect ourselves and our families.”
Listen to the Nurse narrate her tale through an audio:
Credits: Ananya Mariam Rajesh
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