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Health care workers are exhausted

The COVID-19 pandemic has had very far reaching implications. Every day there are stories  that amplify in detail the casualties, deficits, and confusion the COVID-19 virus has created. Health care workers in emergency care settings are distinctly vulnerable due to the high stress situations at their places of work. 

Many healthcare workers find that this pandemic has been especially difficult for their mental health as they worry about possibly taking the virus home to their families, catching the virus itself, staying financially afloat during this pandemic, and fear of failing to provide adequate care for patients given how scarce resources are. 

 Tracie Alexander, a respiratory practitioner at a hospital in Detroit, said she shared some of her hardships and challenges while catering to her patients. 

“I witnessed so many people die, it was like being at war," Alexander said. "And then I had to come home terrified every day that I would bring Covid into my home and infect my family. Eventually I caught COVID from my patients and fell critically ill.” 

She said the virus has a huge impact on the mental health of health care workers.

“The trauma that has been inflicted by the COVID pandemic on healthcare professionals is something that this nation will be dealing with for years to come," Alexander said.

According to a HealthcarefinanceNews.com study report, 93% of all healthcare workers are experiencing stress while another 86% reported experiencing anxiety and insomnia. As virus cases reach its peak professionals are on the cusp of emotional exhaustion.

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