From nurses becoming bruised from their facemasks to falling asleep at their desks, to collapsing after long shifts: the coronavirus has left medical professionals in Italy exhausted and weary.
In an Instagram post, as seen above, Italian nurse Alessia Bonari wrote:
“I am afraid because the mask might not stick properly to the face, or I might have accidentally touched myself with dirty gloves, or maybe the lenses don’t cover my eyes fully and something slipped by.”
“I am physically tired because the protective devices hurt, the lab coat makes me sweat and once I’m dressed I can no longer go to the bathroom or drink for six hours. I am psychologically tired, like all my colleagues who have been in the same situation for weeks, but this won’t stop us from doing our job.”
Another Italian nurse referred to the virus as the “World War” after it took the life of a 59-year-old doctor whom she worked with.
Roberta Re told the Guardian, ““It’s an experience I would compare to a world war.” “But it’s a war that isn’t fightable with traditional arms – as we don’t yet know who the enemy is and so it’s difficult to fight,” she said. “The only weapon we do have to avoid things getting even worse is to stay at home and to respect the rules, to do what they did in China, as this is paying off.” “I’m usually a happy person, chatting and joking with everyone … but now there are days when I have cried and been depressed.”
Sources:
- Main Image: Alessia Bonari
