Grim Photo of Exhausted Nurse in PPE Goes Viral as COVID-19 Cases Spike

Exhausted Nurse in PPE: A picture of an exhausted medical health professional resting wearing a PPE Kit is going viral on Twitter.

In a post on Twitter, a medical health professional who had contracted COVID-19 shared the hardships faced by doctors and nurses while dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. As the cases have increased in the second wave, health professionals have been facing even more difficulties.

Vandana Mahajan, who is a palliative care counsellor spent about a week with doctors, nurses and other medical health professionals where she received treatment for COVID-19. She posted this viral picture and talked about problems faced by doctors and nurses who work with COVID-19 patients.

I hd Covid n was admitted for 6 days. This picture will stay with me. For the ones reading this tweet- they are humans too! As a mental health professional I couldn't help but be there for them. Follow the thread .. #COVIDSecondWave #COVID19 #COVID pic.twitter.com/xqxU37o1gL

— Vandana Mahajan (@oceanblue11oct) April 15, 2021

In the tweet, Mahajan shared about a nurse who was working at a hospital non-stop since the beginning of the pandemic. The nurse stayed in a hostel initially away from her family and had just recently returned home as her son needed help in his studies. She hopes to not get infected to keep her family safe.

I asked a nurse on duty - how long have you been doing this?
She said Since Covid hit. I hv a son who stays with my parents. For the first few months of Covid I stayed in the hostel. I didnt go home. Now he has exams, so I finish my duty..go home teach

— Vandana Mahajan (@oceanblue11oct) April 15, 2021

Another nurse from the same hospital expressed anguish after a patient on whom he was performing CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) the previous night died.

A male nurse comes up to chk my vitals. I strike a conversation with him.I I asked " heard you perform CPR yesterday night.
Him- the patient died. We tried our best n we speak for some more time
I thank him for being there. He wanted to express his anguish at losing a pt.

— Vandana Mahajan (@oceanblue11oct) April 15, 2021

Mahajan also said that the doctors, nurses, as well as other hospital staff, were bearing the burden of the virus. She shared the story of a sister whose biological clock had been disrupted. The health professionals have got stomach problems and ulcers in their mouth. If a woman is menstruating, then changing the sanitary pad is humanly impossible in a PPE kit.

This post has been receiving immense support from people on Twitter. People have been commenting that medical professionals of the country deserve better healthcare and mental health counselling.

Medical professionals around the world have been working non-stop for the patients since the start of the pandemic. They have been under stress as they are risking their own lives to keep others safe. The contributions made by them has been applauded by the citizens and world leaders, but often their mental and physical struggles go unnoticed.

India has recorded about two lakh new cases of  novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours making it the largest surge in one day. Since April 2, India has become the worst COVID-19 hit country with a record number of new cases.