The effects of covid-19 on L.A. county hospitals
Medical professionals share their points of view to provide a deeper look on the true effects of covid-19 on Los Angeles County hospitals.
Photo | Alberto Giuliani/ Wikimedia Commons
DOCTORS AND NURSES OF THE INTENSIVE CARE HOSPITAL, FIGHTING COVID-19 EMERGENCY IN PESARO – ITALY. THEY ARE PORTRAITED AT THE END OF THEIR LONG WORKSHIFT. 12 HOURS WITH NO DRINK AND NO TOILETBREAK, DUE TO THE PROTECTIVE SUIT THEY WEAR. THE SIGNS ON THEIR FACE ARE CAUSED BY THE MASKS THEY HAVE TO WEAR TO PROTECT THEMSELFES FROM COVID VIRUS. IN THE PICTURE: Annalisa Silvestri, Doctor anaesthetist
Oct 9, 2020
In the current healthcare work environment, you can hear the rhythmic pumps of ventilators sound in the room, see workers maintaining safety regulations like it’s second nature, and feel an urgency that the coronavirus has caused.
When covid-19 started no one expected it to be the problem it is today. It’s now 7 months later into the US into lockdown and hospitals are overflowing with infected patients.
“As of today, I think the number of cases is high but staying the same; however, with flu season starting, we may see an increase in covid-19 cases. I hope I am wrong, but most likely the covid-19 cases will increase mainly in the vulnerable populations,” predicted one medical professional, in accordance with what they are currently experiencing in their profession.
Many significant changes were done including wearing masks for in-person clinic appointments with patients, maintaining a distance of six feet between staff and patients, and converting a majority of clinic appointments to phone visits.
Other precautions set in place are Zoom/Microsoft team meetings as opposed to in-person meetings, and in some cases, the staff is being required to work from home in order to minimize the concentration of in-person people working select spaces.
Unfortunately, no matter how much effort healthcare providers put into maintaining a distance of six feet from patients, it can at times be a difficult task to accomplish.
Detailed full body physical assessments of patients, which include procedures such as inspecting their eyes, ears, and throats, listening to their hearts and lungs, and palpating their abdomens, are practically impossible to accomplish from a distance of six feet.
“Given that the mandatory reporting of covid-19 cases directly from hospitals to CDC has been now redirected, it is unclear that the current numbers/cases are accurate. ”, according to a medical professional.
It is evident that our medical workers are working indubitably hard to overcome the challenges which they are being faced with during these difficult times, and hopefully, as they continue to do so, the covid-19 pandemic will finally be resolved.
