A video showing a Michigan ICU nurse breaking down in tears while describing her harrowing first day treating coronavirus patients has gone viral.
In the video, Melissa Steiner of Beaumont Health pleads for the public to take the coronavirus seriously, describing the experience as “like a war zone”:
“So today was the first day that I’ve worked since our unit was designated the second COVID ICU in my hospital. And I don’t know what the fuck just happened for the past 13 hours. Honestly guys, it felt like I was working in a war zone — completely isolated from my team members, limited resources, limited supplies, limited responses from physicians, because they’re just as overwhelmed as we are dealing with a ton of other stuff.
So basically, I just spent the last 13 hours, like, treating two critically ill COVID patients on the bed, basically by myself. And this is my new normal for the next however many months that it takes for this virus to die down. I’m already breaking, so for fuck’s sake people, please take this seriously. This is so bad.”
On Thursday, Michigan officials reported that 2,856 people have tested positive for the coronavirus, and 60 have died.
You can watch the full video below.
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This article appears in Mar 25-31, 2020.
