Nurses and doctors from coast-to-coast are afraid and concerned, many saying hospitals are in complete chaos as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
They are worried about how their hospitals and government are falling short on supplies and staff.
And experts warn we are not even experiencing the worst of the pandemic yet.
Some physicians are afraid to speak out out of fear of being fired.
US health officials are now asking doctors and nurses to do things they haven’t had to do before.
In New York City doctors at the largest hospital in the state say they’ve had to wear the same disposable mask as long as a week.
Hospital beds there and elsewhere are running out.
And then there are the fights over testing at some hospitals.
A registered nurse in a Chicago emergency room says she and other nurses were exposed to a potential Covid-19 patient at work but days later they have not been tested and they have not been told if the patient has tested positive.
Healthcare workers say hospitals and the government didn’t properly prepare for the pandemic.
But an official with Kaiser Permanente in California says they are committed to ensuring “healthcare workers have the right level of protective equipment” and the procedures it’s using “to screen, test and care for healthcare workers and patients suspected or confirmed to have Covid-19 are aligned with the latest science and guidance from public health authorities. These protocols and personal protective equipment have been reviewed and approved by our infectious disease experts and are used by the majority hospital of systems.”
Posted – 3.21.20