By: Fabian Osorio / Staff Writer
In the past couple of weeks, Florida has been getting increased numbers of residents and non-residents infected with the novel coronavirus every day. These numbers are very challenging for people who work in the healthcare industry.
Davie J. Fair, a junior student of Digital Communication and Media who works for the South Florida Health System, said that the percentage of people infected will not decrease soon.
“I think this is going to get worse, people need to stop going out not even to the park.” Fair said, “if we keep the quarantine and the social distance, probably the number of people infected can decrease substantially but not until the summer months.”
Fair, who works as a registered respiratory therapist in critical care and has 13 years of experience in the healthcare industry, is worried about his life dealing with COVID-19 patients.
“I am worried because my parents are cancer survivors, a high-risk group. I don’t want to bring this to them,” he said. “The whole medical community is going through a pretty high level of stress. They are really worried about getting infected, but they do a wonderful job caring for our patients. They provide the best care possible.”
A lot of precautions need to be taken inside and outside of work in order to not get infected. Staff who look after patients with COVID-19 are strictly in charge of these patients.
“I follow the PPE precautions (Personal Protective Equipment). My hospital is pretty strict when it comes to cleanliness and hygiene protocols,” Fair said. “I have two pairs of shoes. One for the hospital that I spray before and after finishing my shift and the other one to go home. At home, I put my clothes straight into the washer and take a shower right away.”
Not only the daily routine has changed for Fair, but also his level of stress has gone up significantly due to the long hours at work on top of his university classes and internship.
“I work 12 to 16 hours daily; it all depends on the emergencies. Also, I take 3 classes this semester and intern for SFMN (South Florida Media Network) as the producer of ‘The Minute’,” he said. “I try to keep my head up and do a lot of push-ups and pull-ups to release the stress.”
According to Florida Health, adults 65 years old and older and people with underlying medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease are more likely to develop serious illness after getting infected.
Since the beginning of the current crisis, Fair has treated many patients who have arrived by ambulance or by themselves. He cannot reveal the number of patients treated for COVID-19 in his hospital because he is not allowed to share this information due to HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).
“I cannot tell you. You need to speak with the hospital official or the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) about the numbers of patients treated for COVID-19,” he said. “But I think everyone is vulnerable. COVID-19 doesn’t care about religion, color, language, race or age. Even kids can be vulnerable, too.”
People who develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19 should receive medical attention immediately. According to the CDC, emergency warning signs include trouble breathing, persistent pain, inability to arouse and bluish lips or face.
“If the patient is COVID-19 positive, we place the patient in a negative pressure room and have to wear our PPE, gowns, mask, and glove,” Fair said. “Some patients are extremely sick, and you can tell by their look in their eyes. You can see a lot of pain in their eyes and the whole body. They cannot breathe well.”
Fair thinks that the next steps in handling this crisis in Southern Florida should include new instructions regarding general sanitation and cleaning the streets. He encourages FIU students to stay at home to protect themselves from catching COVID-19.
“Stay at home and clean everything after someone in your family comes home. If you use gloves, don’t touch your face with them. Don’t let people touch your dog. If your dog goes out, clean their paws before entering the house. Remember to wear gloves and a mask when going out.”
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