Coronavirus (COVID-19): We Want to Hear from You

[tnbutterfly - Mary]

The Coronavirus/COVID-19 has been all over the news since its appearance in Wuhan, China in December. Eleven cities in China have been locked down and travel restrictions imposed on tens of millions of people in an attempt to contain the spread of the deadly virus with reports of more than 900 confirmed cases of infection and more than 2 dozen reported deaths. Infections have been confirmed in South Korea, Japan, Nepal, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and now this deadly virus has now made its appearance in the United States. Two confirmed cases have been identified - one in Washington on January 21 and another in Chicago today. Health officials have reported 63 people from 22 states are under observation for the virus.

We want to keep you up-to-date on the latest news. We need your help. Are you in an area where the Coronavirus/COVID-19 has been identified or where people are under observation for possible infection? We want to hear your story.

What precautions/screening/guidelines have been implemented in your place of work, airports, schools, etc?

Please complete the form below and let us know if you are willing to share your story.

Would you like to write an article to help us keep up with the unfolding Coronavirus / COVID-19 story - historical evolution, what is it, mode of transmission, signs and symptoms, precautions, screening, diagnosis, etc. If so, send me a Private/Personal Message

Wuhan Coronavirus Form

[toomuchbaloney]

21 minutes ago, jeanbeth said:

I teach at a private (for-profit) practical nursing program. The Governor's state of emergency declaration prohibits social groups above 250, the DPH prohibits LTC visitors (our clinical sites), and our accrediting body is requesting a plan if we have to close or go to on-line learning. None of these actions REQUIRE us to close our school. And so as of right now students and staff are required to be on campus Monday morning and we must dock our students their minutes if they are absent. Health and safety concerns? Leadership?

Email this and similar concerns to the dean.

[SummitRN, BSN, RN]

In the 1918 pandemic they closed all the nursing schools and medical schools and sent the students to the bedside to work.

[jeanbeth, MSN, DNP, RN]

1 hour ago, toomuchbaloney said:

Email this and similar concerns to the dean.

On the campus-wide "wait-and-see" email I responded - I expressed my concerns for the health and safety of staff and students and cited the DPH, Governor, and accrediting body actions and pronouncements. I have received many private email responses from my colleagues but silence from the CEO COO and Education VP.

[jeanbeth, MSN, DNP, RN]

1 minute ago, SummitRN said:

In the 1918 pandemic they closed all the nursing schools and medical schools and sent the students to the bedside to work.

We would be at bedside if the LTC facilities had not been ordered to close to visitors. We are visitors, not essential workers, and the LTCs have notified us of this.

[toomuchbaloney]

6 minutes ago, jeanbeth said:

We would be at bedside if the LTC facilities had not been ordered to close to visitors. We are visitors, not essential workers, and the LTCs have notified us of this.

Best that students engage in other clinical settings...testing, logistics, etc.

[scribblz, BSN, CNA, LPN]

I had my first Covid patient this weekend. It was pretty intense caring for her plus 4 other patients. Based on my feedback my manager who is very supportive is aiming for a 2:1 ratio for these patients. We're also trying to do dedicated nursing so the patient goes back and forth between the same two 12 hour nurses. We have N95 masks but only a limited supply. We are wearing them with face shield masks over them so that we can wipe them down with cavi wipes after use and each front line staff member keeps theirs in a labelled paper bag. Pt is in a negative pressure room. We glove, blue gown front and back, glove on top of that and wear a protective hair cap as well. My shoes I wipe down with cavi wipes upon leaving. Also opening the door and closing with the cavi wipes. Dedicated WOW! & VS equipment stay in the room. Poor patient's daughter is quarantined in there with her unable to leave. And this poor patient is so sick, coughing up a storm, elderly and doesn't speak English...so from my perspective I'm so grateful I have the daughter...if not I would feel my patient was unsafe being so isolated. Thank God she's A&Ox3...if she was cognitively impaired...it would be impossible. I've been doing tons of infection control and PPE teaching to ancillary staff and trying to project calm so my co workers don't panic . But definitely an intense few days...and I'm back tonight at 7 ?

Anyone else have a Covid patient? Curious to hear about others' experiences.

[Walti, LPN, LVN, RN, EMT-I]

That is so scary. Both for you, your Covid-19 patient and the other patients you have to care for. Is the family member using PPE? Sounds unlikely.

If we know that the virus can only remain viable for a certain amount of time perhaps we should be "resting" masks before reuse? I certainly don't advocate reuse between caregivers but even that might be necessary if circumstances don't change.

Our local EMS is already running out of equipment and our county has had no confirmed cases yet. Something has to be figured out. We can put men on the moon and build a space station. We should be able to figure out a way to reuse PPE.

[SummitRN, BSN, RN]

The risk of nosocomial infection is high if you read the data coming from Italy and China. We have to protect healthcare workers AND patients.

If you are caring for a COVID+ or PUI you should NOT being taking care of other patients if at all possible! Patients should be cohorted per CDC.

COVID+ with COVID+, PUI with PUI

Further, if PUIs can be cohorted into two risk strata, that is ideal.

Best of all, geographically cohort by having a dedicated unit, although this is hard with AIIRs spread across the hospital.

When it comes time to double up patients in rooms COVID+ can only share with COVID+. I'm not looking forward to the future.

[Walti, LPN, LVN, RN, EMT-I]

The malpractice lawyers are already making plans. You can bet on it.

[NurseBlaq]

There is now a coronavirus case in every US state and territory. This is going to be a looooong Summer. ?

[scribblz, BSN, CNA, LPN]

My hospital just created a dedicated Covid floor. I can only imagine the panic as staff try not to work that floor...

[NormaSaline]

On 3/8/2020 at 8:09 PM, Katillac said:

You're kidding, right? Hospitals don't have a "bank of temp nurses" even now, when they aren't Covid-19 affected. Nor do most devote enough resources to provide safe staffing. The money it would cost to quickly recruit, train, and keep on stand-by this legion of nurses would be astronomical - at a time when hospitals try to get by with as little staff as they can without being sued for wrongful deaths.

Nurse organizations can put out all the lovely lists of demands they want, but they have no teeth.

Medscape article about California nurses:

Quote

 

The inadequate supply of nurses in some states, the union claims, is a direct result of hospitals' treatment of frontline nurses. Even before the COVID crisis, NNU alleges, hospitals understaffed every unit and every shift to maximize profits and "excess revenue."

Hospitals also have not maintained "a robust pool of nurses from which to draw when scheduling shifts," NNU states.

During the COVID pandemic, the union adds, "hospitals rejected nurses' advice…to prepare and plan for predictable staffing needs, including hiring and training more nurses, and cross-training current staff nurses to work in critical care departments. Instead, hospitals cut and laid off staff from units that had temporarily low patient census, and canceled RN traveler contracts."

 

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/958097