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Pennsylvania health officials urge diligence as COVID fatigue sets in
Jennifer Joyce reports
PHILADELPHIA - The catch phrase when COVID-19 first hit was flatten the curve. The goal was to keep the medical system from completely collapsing.
Once again, health officials are begging everyone to flatten the curve and keep people healthy and out of the hospital.
“Like waves on a shore, it just keeps coming,” stated Maureen Casey, an R.N. at Hershey Medical Center.
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Fatigue in a fight that’s far from over, Hershey Medical Center Registered nurse Maureen Casey says simply, her colleagues are tired and the hospital quickly becoming overrun.
“Nurses go home and cry in their cars, cry in the shower, because of the desperation and exhaustion they feel. As a nurse, we just have one simple ask – please wear a mask,” Nurse Casey remarked.
It’s a request that state leaders continue to reiterate as a second surge of coronavirus intensifies fast, Pennsylvania patients filling ICU beds at a rapid pace.
“This is a significant challenge for our healthcare system in Pennsylvania and one that our healthcare system has never faced before,” Pa. Secretary of Health Doctor Rachel Levine said.
Daily COVID-19 case counts are more than six times higher compared to those of last spring, according to Dr. Levine.
“At our highest, we had approximately 2,000 cases and on Saturday, we had 12,700 new cases a day,” Dr. Levine explained.
The only encouraging news is a vaccine appears to be on the horizon. In the United Kingdom, 800,000doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are expected to be ready Tuesday. The UK is the first country to authorize emergency use of this particular vaccine. While the United States awaits approval, Pennsylvania health officials are strongly encouraging people to do their part and simply get a flu shot.
“We cannot afford to have a flu epidemic in Pennsylvania in the middle of this global pandemic,” Ray Barishansky, with the Pa. Dept. of Health, stated.
“Each and every one of us has to take this seriously,” Governor Wolf added.
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