When COVID-19 first broke out in the United States, with its first case-zero appearing here in Washington State, medical workers had to work overtime. Unfortunately, some of these workers were not paid for the extra hours of work spent saving lives. While quarantine progresses, there are many unknowns as we discuss the daily lives and wellness of health workers.

Trying to Keep Up With the Long Hours and High Demand

Dr. Maria Bacay (M.D.), a medical professional from Bacay Medical Associates, shared the inside scoop of the reality of the health front line workers battling the struggles of patients during this growing pandemic. “It’s a matter of how and what you use to treat the patient and being aware and concerned for your staff’s safety,” says Bacay.

She believes that as long as the staff in the clinic are tested regularly, there is no concern to extend staff hours or to decrease them. The staff and herself still get to see their families on a healthy, regular basis because of their strict regulations.

But with these extended hours comes an increased absence from home. Even when home, these professionals are often on-call, meaning they have to be available to go back anytime to the facility. The demand is draining, and even though hospitals work hard to do what is necessary to help patients, crisis mode is difficult to maintain for months on end.

Slowing the Spread of the Virus

Everyone’s main goal at the moment, whether they are health workers or not, is ending this pandemic as soon as possible.

However, not all medical facilities are enforcing strict guidelines on a regular basis during the pandemic. Mostly, they only enforce their pandemic policies when either the patient tests positive for COVID-19 or if they were symptomatic within the last two days.

Another example of a standard guideline is that if the patient refused to wear a mask or the mask provided at the door, they would be automatically rescheduled for a later appointment.

Although these policies can be as strict as they want, in the end, it does not matter if the person is a patient or considered “healthy.” We still do not understand the virus as well as we’d like. Masking up and practicing safe social distancing—in hospitals and day-to-day activities—are the only solution to protect everyone else from this pandemic at this point in time.

Medical Equipment and Contamination Risk

Dr. Bacay stresses that reinforcement policies during this time are an absolute must. There have to be high-quality equipment and masks for everyone including patients and visitors, not just the working staff. Facilities may be increasing risk factors by distributing and encouraging the use of reusable equipment. If the sterilization process is not done properly, there is a high risk of contamination, which is considered medical malpractice.

Especially during how rampant the virus is right now, medical personnel cannot risk spreading COVID-19 to other patients, themselves, and their families. For this reason, some facilities are temporarily using disposable equipment not only to lessen contamination, but to reduce cost for medical providers.