Sitting
ducks

April 28, 2020 -- I am volunteer-nursing on a unit in a local SNF (skilled nursing facility). Nearly all our patients have tested postive for Covid-19.

We caregivers do all we can to prevent the spread of the virus. We:

  • Get tested regularly and cease work if we're positive.
  • Use PPE (N95 masks, disposable gloves, face shields, hair nets, bootees, disposable gowns).
  • Wipe down our equipment (blood pressure cuffs, thermometers, etc.) after each use.
  • Change gloves between patients.
  • Wash hands at every opportunity.
  • Put a mask on anyone who has tested positive and on others when possible.

Even so, the virus spreads. Like a fog it surrounds its carriers and settles everywhere. Calling it a fog is not quite accurate since the virus is droplet-borne not dry, but I find the mental image useful. A virus is DNA or RNA surrounded by a thin fatty shell that is easily dissolved by soap or solvents thus destroying it. The problem is that the "fog" settles everywhere. Washing and wiping cannot reach every place the virus lands.

The CDC is well aware of the risks and has published guidelines to reduce them. Both patients and workers are at risk, me among them, and I worry. Eliminating visits from outsiders and group events are essential measures but they don't solve the underlying problem, people in close proximity. Not much can be done about that short of closing the facilities and sending everybody home. Even if that were an option, it would merely displace not solve the problem. Alas, there is no good solution. The best we can do is to continue to be careful and do what we're already doing.

We'll be living with this virus for quite some time to come.

Table of Contents