“We might look a little scary to the patients in these suits. That’s why we try to cheer them up and joke with them,” says nurse Julia Vereshchagina. May 12 is International Nurses Day, and thousands of nurses are currently on the front lines of the fight against coronavirus infection. The BBC asked five health workers from four continents to share their stories.
“The hardest thing now is to spend the whole shift in a hazmat suit. You can’t go to the toilet or have a drink of water for six hours straight. Of course, it’s not easy to endure. But you put up with it and work,” says Julia Vereshchagina.
She has been working as a nurse for more than 20 years. Currently, Julia takes care of coronavirus patients at the “Medsi” Clinical Hospital in Moscow. “I think we might look a little intimidating to patients in these hazmat suits. That’s why we try to cheer them up, make jokes. It’s important to show confidence and calmness – it makes it easier for the patients,” she adds. Julia says the majority of her patients are elderly. “Many of them are very touching. They thank us for our work, they always try to give us something. They offer candy. But nothing can be taken out of the ‘red’ zone. That’s why we have to stop them,” says the nurse with a smile. The condition of elderly patients with coronavirus often changes drastically. And caregivers need to be especially vigilant to detect deterioration in time.
“The coronavirus is literally mowing down elderly patients. It’s very hard to watch – they literally wither away before your eyes. All the severe cases are immediately transferred to intensive care and put on ventilators. But the majority of those infected recover. And that is encouraging,” says the nurse. She believes that during the epidemic, nurses began to receive more respect for their work. Although there are also negative reactions. “I warned everyone that I was working with coronavirus patients. After that, some of them stopped talking to me and try to avoid contact with me – only when they have to call me. But I’m not offended,” Yulia says.
This photo went viral all over Italy. The exhausted nurse, wearing a mask, has fallen asleep at her computer desk. Italy has been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak, the first country in the Western world to be affected. And Elena Palyarini’s photo epitomized the selfless work of health workers trying to cope with the spread of the epidemic.
“The situation was very tense,” Elena told the BBC, “some patients were dying in my arms. We worked all night. At 6 a.m., I sat down and dozed off on the table. A doctor I knew took this picture. It was a very frightening time. Elena says she was unaware that the photo had spread through the media and social networks until journalists and strangers began writing to her. “I suddenly realized that this photo had become something bigger than just a captured moment. And that realization was very touching, but also very alarming,” the nurse recalls.
We explain quickly, simply and clearly what has happened, why it is important and what will happen next. The number of episodes should remain the same. End of story. Podcast advertising. In mid-March, when hospitals in northern Italy were overwhelmed and hundreds of people were dying every day, Elena herself contracted coronavirus. She was treated at home and spent 23 days in self-isolation. On April 2, the day the coronavirus outbreak peaked in Italy, Elena returned to work at the hospital. Now, the number of infected people in Italy is falling rapidly, and health workers are finding it easier to cope with the influx of patients. Italy has begun to ease quarantine measures. “Now we are in the second stage,” says Elena. “We still have patients coming in, but the symptoms are getting weaker. They complain of sore throats, dehydration and severe headaches. But this is no longer a situation that requires extraordinary measures. At least 160 health workers in Italy have died from coronavirus. All health workers in the country are considered heroes. “I am proud of my work,” says Elena. “This photo is of me alone, but it symbolizes the work of all nurses and doctors.”
“At first, my loved ones were worried that I was joining the fight against the coronavirus. But when they saw the photos of me in the protective suits, they understood that I was adequately protected,” says Mzwakhe Mohlalogane.
Mzvache is a male nurse with five years of experience. He is 37 years old, married and has two children. He has been working with coronavirus patients in Johannesburg for two months. South Africa has done a tremendous job in containing the spread of Covid-19 in the population. Many have said that the most important role in this was the community education and mass testing. This work was carried out by nurses, with special attention paid to people over the age of 59 and those with chronic illnesses. “Mzvake says the workload has been enormous, but he feels satisfaction from the work he has done: ‘I feel like a superhero because I am saving the lives of my fellow countrymen.'” According to the nurse, the new experience also helped him better understand how the coronavirus behaves in patients depending on their age and physical condition.
According to him, his relatives in Mzvah initially did not approve of his leading the fight against the coronavirus and were very concerned. But now his family supports him. “My mother said she was proud of me. She is proud that her son is one of those who fight to save people’s lives,” said Mzvake. “I want to say to my colleagues around the world – do not give up. You must do everything you can to help contain this virus. And never think that you are defeated,” the nurse adds.
Gabriela Serrano, a nurse working in the United States, still remembers the day she discharged her first patient who had recovered from coronavirus. “She was so happy when I took her out of the hospital in her wheelchair. She loved the sun and the opportunity to breathe fresh air.”
Gabrielle is 31 years old and has been a nurse for seven years. During the pandemic, she worked at a hospital on the outskirts of San Francisco. “Two Covid-19 patients I cared for had chronic diseases. They were over 70 years old and yet they managed to survive. That gives me hope. In the last two months, three people have died in front of Gabriela. She told of the elderly patient who was dying. “On the first day, she was partially conscious but unable to speak. Nevertheless, I told her about all the procedures that were being done,” Gabriela recalls. The next day, the elderly woman could not open her eyes.
The hospital where Gabriela worked allowed her family to spend her last hours with her. Unfortunately, she had no close family and her best friend decided not to come to the hospital. “I sat with her, held her hand and just told her that everything was going to be okay. I told her that I was there, that she wasn’t alone,” Gabriela recalls. “I don’t know if she heard me at that moment, but I tried to do everything I could for her. Gabriela had a short-term contract that has now expired and she is currently unemployed. The number of visitors to the clinic has dropped significantly as people are afraid of getting infected and avoid going to the clinic unless absolutely necessary. But the nurse is not despairing. “I am quite optimistic. I think I will find a job within a month. I will accept whatever is offered.
“On March 24, we registered the first case of Covid-19 in our hospital. I immediately remembered two patients, representatives of small ethnic groups, who were hospitalized with us. I asked them to be discharged,” says Shanti Teresa Lakra. Shanti gained recognition in India for providing medical care to small ethnic groups in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
For example, she cured a five-year-old boy from the Jarawa tribe who had pneumonia. This tribe of hunter-gatherers lives in a remote forest, 80 km from the Shanti hospital. A week after the boy was discharged from the hospital, Shanti went to the forest to visit him.
The Jarawa tribe first came into contact with civilization in 1997. Some Indian tribes have lived far from civilization for thousands of years, which has helped them preserve their uniqueness. But now the population of such groups is dwindling rapidly. The Jarawa tribe currently numbers around 450 people. “Their immune systems are weak. And even one sick person can threaten the existence of the entire tribe,” the nurse explains.
The material was prepared by Svanidzhan Natrajhan, Mark Lowen, Christian Parkinson, and Olga Ivshina.