Healthcare workers describe the tiring toll of the pandemic, urge everyone to adhere to new restrictions
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PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) — Doctors and nurses who’ve been working tirelessly throughout the pandemic say we all need to take the new restrictions and precautions around the holidays seriously.
“It’s not a matter of getting sick, see the doctor, go to the hospital, get treated, go home, this time it’s bigger than that,” Dr. Hoa Ly, the Medical Director of Inpatient Medicine Service at Legacy Salmon Creek, said during a Clark County press conference Monday.
“It’s hard to maintain the morale of the staff and to stay positive and strong. We all try, and I know every one of us do, but that’s the feeling at the hospital, not just looking at the patient but talking and looking at the staff themselves; I think it’s a significant emotional toll,” he said.
He describes the difficulty of seeing COVID-19 patients get so sick so quickly and the anxiety and fear healthcare workers have of bringing that same illness home to their own families.
“I personally have an isolation room set up at home in case I come home and can’t get in the house I will enter that isolation room to protect my family,” he said.
That’s why doctors and nurses say they need everyone to follow the new restrictions in Oregon and Washington.
“We have used our emotions, our physical abilities our vacation time for the last eight months,” Clint Wallace, an ICU nurse in Spokane, said. “We’re needing everyone to put aside their political and financial motives and follow the direction of our health experts.”
“Right now feels really difficult, but if we can all find it within ourselves to do these safety precautions, we can get through this,” Jessica Flynn said.
She’s an ICU nurse at Legacy Good Samaritan in Portland. She said even in this tough year and working through it all; she’s making sacrifices too.
“My husband has a large family, so typically we try to visit them all and have a large Thanksgiving, but this year we’ll be staying home just the three of us doing our own dinner,” she said.
Dr. Ly reminds everyone the virus can only spread if we allow it to and that the best way to protect ourselves, each other, and those on the front lines is to do whatever we can to avoid getting sick in the first place.
Dr. Ly also shared some advice for parents headed into the holidays. He said even though kids might not be able to see their grandparents or take part in some usual traditions, this will likely be the most memorable and meaningful holiday season of their lives, and they will be sharing this with their kids and grandkids.
He said to make sure to tell kids that their sacrifices are heroic.
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