Opinion from an ER nurse: You might not believe in COVID, I don't care

Dec 8 2020, 9:12 pm

Written for Daily Hive by Kate Goertzen, an ER nurse in Prince George, BC


You might not believe in COVID. I don’t care.

We do.

Nurses, healthcare professionals are exhausted. We are terrified of not only getting this ourselves but, if we did, then passing it along to others.

We also live in the north, where we can often feel forgotten… I didn’t truly realize this until I moved back to PG (Prince George) this spring.

When I asked where the Cavy wipes (one-time use cleaning wipes) lived and they scoffed, saying, “Ya, we haven’t seen those in months!”

Or when I asked why our hospital socks looked like they’d been worn by multiple people and were not in plastic when I got them. I was told that they are re-used and not sent home with patients but washed again and again.

See also:

You might not believe in COVID. I don’t care; we do.

But I bet you believe in heart attacks, car accidents, appendicitis, long wait times for procedures, or even to see a doctor.

Our beds are so full, even not in a pandemic, but in PG, we have had to send COVID+ patients to other hospitals because we don’t have the capability to care for them right now.

You might not believe in COVID now, but what happens when your dad has a heart attack and the medical system can’t care for him in the way he requires?

What happens when you end up in a massive car accident and need that bed in ICU, but it’s full they are at capacity?

What happens when your mom needs an ultrasound, but it’s been pushed off for months? Maybe it was cancer they could’ve found and treated right away, but now it’s palliative care for her?

Okay, so you don’t believe in COVID. Actually, I do care.

Stay home, for not only your sake but those who you might come into contact with while you’re asymptomatic. Stay home. Not because you’re healthy, and yes, you might be just fine, but what if you aren’t?

And then will you believe in COVID? When you’re gasping for air and begging a healthcare worker to save your life?

Stay home because we sure as heck want to and because we do believe in COVID.

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