After a tiring hospital shift through which I had handled an aged man whose grandson had given him COVID-19, I heard my colleague speaking on the telephone with a pal a few latest journey she took to a different state. My colleague requested whether or not she had worn a masks, given the latest surge of coronavirus instances. Undoubtedly, the pal replied, apart from when she went clubbing, however no one was carrying a masks in there.

We have been flabbergasted by her blasé perspective. However it’s not simply this wayward lady ignoring suggestions from public well being officers.

I’m continually peppered with questions from associates, a lot of whom are college-educated and scientifically savvy, whether or not it’s “OK” to go to indoor events or host giant dinner gatherings. Individuals are getting bored with restrictions. However with instances of COVID-19 persevering with to rise nationally and hospitals changing into more and more full, it’s time to battle by way of this pandemic fatigue and produce again the #flattenthecurve mentality.

Hospitals could possibly be overwhelmed

Keep in mind these days once we all tried to flatten the curve? It appears so way back, but it surely has been solely 9 months since hospital techniques have been being overwhelmed with COVID-19 sufferers and we feared that we might run out of intensive care unit beds and ventilators. At the moment, there have been widespread public campaigns to sluggish the unfold of the virus by way of social distancing and masking precautions. This was to keep away from giant spikes in infections stressing, and probably breaking, the well being care system.

Newly opened subject hospital on Dec. 1, 2020, in Cranston, Rhode Island.

Sadly, the variety of hospitalizations and COVID-19 instances has surged once more, surpassing even these information in April. There are actually practically 100,000 individuals hospitalized as a result of coronavirus, far surpassing the 60,000 hospitalized on the peak of spring. However 9 months and over 1 / 4 million deaths later, we’re getting pandemic fatigue. Quite than socially isolating and carrying masks, many individuals are gathering for vacation meals and ignoring state-mandated restrictions.

Story continues

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The pressure on the well being care system is actual. Private protecting gear (PPE), together with N95 masks, face shields and isolation robes designed to guard hospital workers, are operating quick in hospitals across the nation. Some nurses should reuse their N95 masks (designed to be disposed after use) for days on finish till they’re virtually falling aside.

We threat our lives to avoid wasting the dying

Nurses, medical doctors, respiratory therapists and custodians are actually placing their lives in danger to take care of COVID-19 sufferers. Over 1,000 well being care employees have misplaced their lives after publicity to the virus, and that is seemingly an underestimate. It’s irritating that we put our lives in danger to avoid wasting the dying, however many are nonetheless in denial that the coronavirus is deadly or that public well being measures are obligatory.

As instances explode, it’s not simply PPE that grows quick, but additionally the variety of our bodies working. Staffing has been so strained, North Dakota even adopted a coverage to let contaminated nurses bypass isolating and proceed working.

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So many individuals are dying that “cell morgues” now exist. It’s a shame that in essentially the most resource-rich nation on the planet, now we have to retailer useless our bodies in refrigerated trailers as a result of the traditional morgues are overflowing.

The state of affairs actually is dire. If we don’t do our half to restrict transmission, hospitals will exceed capability. We are going to run out of ventilators and PPE and much more individuals will die. There’s excellent news on the horizon with promising knowledge on vaccines, however realistically they won’t be extensively distributed for a number of months.

Within the meantime, we face a quantity of COVID-19 instances larger than spikes final spring, and the numbers are solely growing. Though there’s a mild on the finish of the tunnel, we’re at our darkest time. Please battle by way of the pandemic fatigue. We have to toughen up, socially distance and masks up. Let’s #flattenthecurve once more.

Dr. Thomas Okay. Lew is an assistant medical professor of drugs on the Stanford College Faculty of Drugs and an attending doctor of Hospital Drugs at Stanford Well being Care – ValleyCare. All expressed opinions are his personal. Observe him on Twitter @ThomasLewMD

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This text initially appeared on USA TODAY: Do not cave to COVID fatigue. As instances explode, we should cease the unfold.