NY medical staff fear for life, cry out for protection

Medical staff in the United States’ coronavirus hotbed New York are struggling with long hours and a dire need for personal protective equipment — and as infections surge, they increasingly fear for their own safety.

Doctors and nurses are working round the clock caring for patients hit by the fast-spreading infection, risking their lives on the frontline of the global crisis.

The same week the US became the new epicenter of the pandemic — with about 120,000 confirmed cases of infection and 2,000 deaths — Kious Kelly, a nurse manager at a Manhattan hospital, succumbed to a fatal case of the COVID-19 illness.

The death of the 48-year-old crystallized fears of many medical workers who’ve lamented severe shortages of necessary supplies, including plastic protective gowns and hospital-grade masks.

“It’s abysmal,” said Andrew, a psychiatry resident in a New York hospital who spoke on condition his name be changed.

He is now quarantined at home with a likely case of the virus himself. “There’s not enough money, there aren’t enough tests, there’s not enough personal protective equipment for people who are dealing with this — not just the doctors, but nurses, ancillary staff, janitors — everyone in the hospital who are getting huge exposure to the virus,” he said in an interview punctuated by coughs.

About 20 healthcare workers protested against their working conditions on Saturday morning outside the city’s Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx.

“People on the frontlines aren’t getting protected. They’re lambs to slaughter,” he said. “It’s criminal.”

Andrew also criticized that federal action has been “wholly inadequate” and “more people are going to die.”

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday that “right now” there is enough protective equipment, although “nobody has enough long term” and efforts are being made to obtain more.

He acknowledged concern among healthcare workers that guidelines from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for how often gowns, masks and so on are changed during a crisis do not adequately protect them.

The issue is being looked at, he said. “If we believe the CDC guidelines don’t protect healthcare professionals then we will put our own guidelines in place.”