I'm almost embarrassed to post this... I am an ED nurse at a 450-bed hospital in the midwest. We have not been taxed by COVID patients yet. My wife has become somewhat of a conspiracy theorist and is questioning everything. She found a thread somewhere that convinced her that what we are seeing on TV is not really happening. We have had some serious arguments about this stuff, but she won't stop. She said that lots of nurses were reporting that nothing was happening at their hospitals.
I would like to see if any of the nurses from the hospitals that are being seriously affected are on this forum and can comment. I realize that most of you are probably too exhausted to even get on a forum.
Specializes in Currently wound care, passion in SCI..
Not seeing much activity at my hospital system in Southeast PA. I understand that many of you have seen a lot with this but there really isn't a need to be rude toward this man's wife whom we know nothing about. This man was asking an honest question to colleagues and he gets his wife insulted. Perhaps he simply wanted facts from nurses so he could show his wife what is going on elsewhere. You are correct in saying that just because one doesn't experience something first hand doesn't mean it doesn't exist. However, it is easier to believe something if you hear it from someone you trust. That's what (I think) he was trying to do - get facts from people he trusts.
I attend births at a birth center in IN presently. We are SLAMMED. My brother in law is an ER doc in KY. Their census is so low that he is only scheduled for 3 shifts in 21 days.
" If you take the numbers of flu deaths and divide by 3 you get 20,000. Add 20,000 to the current CV deaths you get around the same number as flu deaths. "
My bad. Somehow this appeared to compare the two. I will read more carefully next time.
She also wrote: "In the end I project this will be somewhere near as bad as that flu season. And yet the flu barely made the news at the time."
I read her original post the same way and was going to respond to it but then decided I just couldn't give it the energy...so I thank you for doing it....cause it made me feel better....rofl.
COVID...sadly... will far outstrip the flu...even that season...and that's WITH all of our efforts to minimize spread.
I am a psych nurse in MA and I am getting floated to covid floors. This is no joke.
I’m a future nursing student In NYC and I have family and friends in the front lines. My best friend sister who has been a RN/NP for 20 years who is in recovery from Covid and has to return to work in two weeks. Shes terrified.
She also works for a one of the top private hospital in NYC and nurses who haven’t done bedside in over a decade or who aren’t specialized in ICU are being reassigned to Covid wards. Units are being converted to a COVID units.
My friend who works on the administrative side in the Bronx says there were over 110 deaths in one of the worst weeks at her hospital.
Two extended members of my family have passed.
So any smug midwesterners who want to believe this is fake or over exaggerated please as our Governor has said, come down and apply to the many jobs that are so desperately needed and have a birds eye view for yourself.
We only can hope God you guys don't suffer the same fate. Because would it then be heartless to turn around and say I told you so?
I would catch people who told me they were veterans and yet they didn't know basic military terms like DD214 or ETS which every veteran knows.
Off the posted subject, but I run into this often. Patients who claim to be veterans but can't tell me their MOS (and these guys are younger or same age as me) or don't know common terms. It's sad when someone makes the false claim of being a vet. That's definitely a claim that goes straight through me
I am a retired nurse living in a small county in East Texas. I am glad to see so many nurses stepping out and saying how real this is. I have a friend in a local hospital and what she sees does not match up with what our county reports. They would have us believe there are 15 active cases in the entire county with only 3 deaths. I can understand how some people might not think this whole thing is real when your basic source of news is snippets from FB or politically motivated news. There are "doctors" telling us it needs herd immunity so get out there. There is so much half truth and outright lies for those of us stuck at home. After 6 weeks I am tired of being Stay Home and safe. But I also am much more concerned that numbers are being vastly under reported. They have done little to no testing in my county. I hear they send bronchitis and pneumonia patients home without testing. I hurt for those of you on the front lines. I feel guilty that I can no longer work as a nurse. I am angry that there seems to be no real truthful answers but terrified they are holding back far worse information, easing us into this new normal so we don't all panic at once. It is a frightening world these days. Be kind, stay safe and God Bless.
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
45 minutes ago, Gramo Nurse said:
I am a retired nurse living in a small county in East Texas. I am glad to see so many nurses stepping out and saying how real this is. I have a friend in a local hospital and what she sees does not match up with what our county reports. They would have us believe there are 15 active cases in the entire county with only 3 deaths. I can understand how some people might not think this whole thing is real when your basic source of news is snippets from FB or politically motivated news. There are "doctors" telling us it needs herd immunity so get out there. There is so much half truth and outright lies for those of us stuck at home. After 6 weeks I am tired of being Stay Home and safe. But I also am much more concerned that numbers are being vastly under reported. They have done little to no testing in my county. I hear they send bronchitis and pneumonia patients home without testing. I hurt for those of you on the front lines. I feel guilty that I can no longer work as a nurse. I am angry that there seems to be no real truthful answers but terrified they are holding back far worse information, easing us into this new normal so we don't all panic at once. It is a frightening world these days. Be kind, stay safe and God Bless.
That was real. Thanks for putting voice to some of the fears.
Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.
Received family email that my 92yo "stubborn Polish" aunt with dementia was transferred from Philadelphia area SNF to the hospital in Afib with Covid + pneumonia --2nd time pneumonia in 4 months. Yesterday was up, told staff her explicit meal preferences; Today she is not as responsive as yesterday... and so it goes like other nurses have posted at AN. PA State and county officials have reported over 28,000 coronavirus cases in my SE PA region, including my aunt's area.
4/26/20 PA statewide Covid-19: Case Counts, Deaths, and Negatives
Total Cases: 41,165. Deaths: 1,550. Negative:157,428.
60% of PA deaths were patients in SNF/congregate living settings.
4/26/20 9 PM US: Covid + patients statistics:
Total confirmed: 965,426
Total deaths: 54,856
In just FIVE WEEKS since virus detected in the US. over 54,000 deaths; we're adding 2,000 deaths /day over past week. Will be over 60,000 by May 1st.
Philadelphia Inquirer:
by William Bender, Allison Steele and Vinny Vella, Updated: April 25, 2020
Quote
‘It’s a sinking ship’: COVID-19 deaths triple at state-run vets nursing home in Chester County as families clamor for information
...The death toll nearly tripled over a five-day period at the sprawling, 283-bed Southeastern Veterans’ Center complex in a wooded stretch of East Vincent Township, near the Schuylkill. As of Friday, 26 residents who had tested positive for COVID-19 or were presumed to be infected have died, according to the Chester County coroner... https://www.inquirer.com/news/southeastern-veterans-center-coronavirus-chester-county-covid-20200425.html
Received family email that my 92yo "stubborn Polish" aunt with dementia was transferred from Philadelphia area SNF to the hospital in Afib with Covid + pneumonia --2nd time pneumonia in 4 months. Yesterday was up, told staff her explicit meal preferences; Today she is not as responsive as yesterday... and so it goes like other nurses have posted at AN. PA State and county officials have reported over 28,000 coronavirus cases in the region, including my aunt's area.
4/26/20 PA: Case Counts, Deaths, and Negatives 4/26/20
Total Cases: 41,165. Deaths: 1,550. Negative:157,428.
Work at a 450 bed hospital outside the DC area. We are down 50-60% for ER visits and overall admissions. I work in ER and hear about the distribution of admissions sporadically, but over the last 4ish weeks appears to be a steady group of COVID/PUI in ICU, comparable to “a flu season“ for us. Mostly all elderly. Not overwhelmed (knocks on wood!). Still 1 mask/N95 a shift unless soiled, 1 gown per PUI/COVID/room patient per shift.
janelleb
4 Posts
Not seeing much activity at my hospital system in Southeast PA. I understand that many of you have seen a lot with this but there really isn't a need to be rude toward this man's wife whom we know nothing about. This man was asking an honest question to colleagues and he gets his wife insulted. Perhaps he simply wanted facts from nurses so he could show his wife what is going on elsewhere. You are correct in saying that just because one doesn't experience something first hand doesn't mean it doesn't exist. However, it is easier to believe something if you hear it from someone you trust. That's what (I think) he was trying to do - get facts from people he trusts.