Hospitals pushed to the brink

The messages we are hearing from health care workers on the frontlines of this pandemic are harrowing. In some hospitals treating Covid-19 patients, beds line the hallways and morgues are overflowing. A worker at one hospital described it as a “medical war zone.”

These overwhelming scenes are playing out as these same workers are make pleas for the equipment they need to save both patients and themselves. Some have shared photos of the makeshift protective gear they are using. Others have discussed tough decisions they have to make: when to reuse gear, when patients stay on ventilators, how long they stay in a room with a patient.

But help is on the way. Backup protective equipment options are being sent to hospitals after companies and groups began chipping in to manufacture scrubs, masks and other gear.

In New York, the current epicenter of the outbreak in the US, Central Park and its harbor have become makeshift hospitals. Some colleges are deciding to allow medical students to graduate early to help fight the virus.

The shocking scenes do not disappear when you leave a hospital every day. The emotional toll on our fellow workers is heavy. And most will return home only to remain isolated from their families because of their exposure to the virus. They are willing to do all they can at the frontlines of this battle, but even those who describe themselves as soldiers admit they are scared.

We must do what we can to support them. In New York and other cities, people have gathered at their windows around sunset to cheer on health care workers and emergency responders. It is the least that we can do in appreciation of their sacrifice.