The US is the hardest hit country in the world for Covid-19 with 245,066 cases including 10,403 recoveries and 6,075 deaths at the time of writing. As numbers are expected to rise, testing kits and supplies are running out leaving many frontliners without personal protective equipment.
A nurse from Chicago, Illinois had to quit her job not because she didn’t want to work, but because her manager wouldn’t allow her to wear her own N95 mask to protect herself.
Imaris shared on Instagram that she was assigned to a Covid-19 patient in the ICU and noticed that none of the other nurses were wearing masks in the hallways or when they were giving reports to each other.
The nurse in charge was giving out N95 masks to nurses with a brown paper bag for them to store the mask in so that they could be “re-used and re-applied all day.”
Imaris then questioned the nurse about the possible contamination to that N95 mask if it were to be re-used all day and expressed her concern for her own safety.
Her manager then told her that they might consider having staff wear surgical masks, but Imaris argued that surgical masks aren’t going to protect them.
“We’ve kept up with the CDC and it is only when the Covid-19 patient has any aerosol type treatments like a ventilator, nasal cannula, nebulizer, etc that it’s airborne, otherwise it’s droplet,” the manager said.
Imaris then mentioned that 90% of the patients in the hospital are positive for Covid-19 and that people not even in the hospital environment are spreading it.
“We have to assume everyone is infected, especially in the hospital environment and no one here even has a droplet mask on,” she said.
Imaris had her own N95 mask and she asked her manager if she could wear that instead.
“Can I please just wear my own N95 mask? I understand we have a shortage but I have my own,” she asked.
But her manager told her that they couldn’t allow her to wear it even though the manager said staff safety is the priority at the hospital. So, Imaris handed in her resignation and left.
“The way things are looking, this isn’t going to get any better. America is not prepared and nurses are not being protected,” Imaris said.
Here’s the video:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-YMwXChtt-/?utm_source=ig_embed
Why wouldn’t they let Imaris wear her own N95 mask to protect herself? These medical staff need to be protected the most as they are dealing with Covid-19 patients every day and it’s really sad to see them walk away from their job due to the shortage of protective equipment.
Also read: Nurse Gets Assaulted & Bitten On Face by Covid-19 Patient Who Refused Treatment
