NATIONAL NEWS - An intensive care doctor who has worked countless hours through the pandemic says healthcare workers on the frontline are exhausted and he has appealed to the public for more support in fighting COVID-19.
“This third wave’s intensity is much higher and we’re seeing much younger patients being admitted. They are critically ill. What really struck me is that you see whole families come in for treatment to hospital due to COVID-19 and they are all so ill. You hope that you will be able to keep them all safe. COVID-19 is real,” shares Dr De Vries Basson.
Dr Basson is the Head of Internal Medicine at Karl Bremer Hospital and says his team has been under pressure over the past three weeks.
“We have converted some wards into high-care wards to care for COVID-19 patients. Currently, one of our highest loads remains COVID-19 admissions and, at the same time, we found over the past three weeks that non-COVID-19 admissions had increased. This means that there is added pressure on our teams in ICU and beyond. We have also had cases where families struggle to care for the elderly, and they’ve been admitted to our hospitals for further care.”
Exhaustion and anxiety are some of the feelings healthcare workers are experiencing ahead of a possible fourth wave. Dr Basson says they’re not looking forward to it.
“The pandemic has affected all medical staff, clinical and administrative, in the sense that you work harder and longer hours; but you’re under more and more pressure. You are also at risk of contracting COVID-19. This pandemic means that we often get home late from work and we’re too tired to go to gym or run. We’re human and we’re tired too. We need your help.”
Dr Basson hopes that more residents will choose vaccination to protect themselves, their loved ones and healthcare workers.
“I am wishing it away, the fourth wave… I am hoping that more residents will take their vaccine and that the public will adhere to the general rules: sanitise your hands, remember to wear your mask, avoid crowds and stay home when sick, lastly, please get your vaccine. What does taking your vaccine mean for you, your loves ones and healthcare workers? I am hoping as more people get vaccinated, that the fourth wave will be less intense. Remember, the vaccine cannot prevent you from getting COVID-19, but it can prevent serious illness, hospitalisation and death.”
Amid all the pressure to save lives, Dr Basson has one more appeal to the public: “Your support carries us over that line. We’re physically and mentally tired, but your support keeps us going. Please continue to keep healthcare workers in your prayers and thoughts.”
Dr Basson adds his colleagues and messages of support keeps him moving through the pandemic.
“I owe it to my colleagues, it’s the fact that everybody checks in on each other every day. Then there are people in general in our hospital who greet and take time to motivate you. Often just a WhatsApp message of encouragement makes your day better.
"There is a quote too by Vince Lombardi that keeps me strong, ‘I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious.’ This COVID-19 battle we are in affects all of us, help us to stay resilient, as we continue to fight this battle with hopes of victory over COVID-19.”
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