By Denise Phillip 

“The hysteria nurses are feeling stems from the guidelines constantly being changed by the CDC about the way COVID-19 is transmitted; we feel exposed,” said Vinessa Lee, a 5-year veteran Registered Nurse at NY Presbyterian Hospital who also tested positive for the virus. “First, they thought the virus was airborne and we needed the N95 respiratory mask. Then, they told us we didn’t need them. Now, they have us reusing our equipment because of shortages.” 

New York City has become the epicenter of the pandemic, with 136,806 confirmed cases, 18,569 hospitalized, 3,120 in the ICU, and about 10,344 deaths, which represents 43 percent of confirmed cases in the United States as of April 20, according to the New York Times. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio reiterated hispleas for the city’s need for more equipment, and medical workers echoed this demand. 

“I’m stressed because we don’t have enough PPE (personal prevention equipment) to work with. Also, my unit is designated for all COVID-19 positive patients in the hospital. It’s a little scary,” said Lee.  

“I have moments where I feel overwhelmed and felt myself getting emotional because of the people being admitted with COVID-19 and the feeling of being helpless,” said a Lehman student and Infection Prevention Liaison at New York Presbyterian Hospital who asked to remain anonymous about the stress of working on the front line during this pandemic. 

The need is especially severe in the Bronx, which is home to more than 60 percent of New York City's very low-income residents and also leads in hospitalizations with 27,014, and 2,245 deaths, the New York Times reported. It noted that Bronx residents are twice as likely to succumb to COVID-19 and are dying at double the rate because of pre-existing health conditions linked to coronavirus complications, and a lack of access to healthcare. 

Bronx’s Lincoln Medical and Mental Health reported having very few remaining ventilators for patients, while in Brooklyn, doctors at Kings County Hospital Center said supplies have gotten so scarce that they are reusing masks. Workers were setting up separate areas to manage COVID-19 patients, because of the overcrowded E.R. waiting rooms, according to CNN.  

Nurses and doctors are not the only healthcare workers on the frontlines. Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) and first responders are also the first line of defense during this pandemic, and also find themselves struggling for adequate protection. 

“We are being asked to sanitize and reuse our N95 masks that are meant to be used once,” Ashley DeJesus, a 3-year FDNY EMS worker, told the Meridian “We are running out of PPEs and are running into dire situations with less protection on. It’s honestly no secret that the entire healthcare system is currently in crisis mode, but we need more protective equipment.” 

She also stated that during the month of March, 6,406 calls were made daily to 911 citywide, by people with COVID-19 related illnesses. “We are overwhelmed by the volume of people calling 911,” she said. “We want people to be mindful and only call us in life-threatening emergencies only because there are people that are severely ill and need our attention.”  

The Fire Department of New York confirmed that more than 20 percent of the EMS workforce were out sick, according to CNN. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is sending 250 ambulances and 500 EMTs and paramedics to help the city contend the crush of calls to 911 during the pandemic, Mayor de Blasio’s office said in a press conference.  

To help with the demand for medical supplies, Lehman’s Biology and Chemistry Departments donated 165 N95 respirator masks, 50 pairs of slip-on medical shoe covers and boxes of latex gloves to Montefiore Medical Center, the University Hospital for Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Lehman’s high-quality nursing education programs are designed to train aspiring nurses to take the lead in health issues that impact both the local community and the world. 

The school isn’t unscathed in the pandemic as they mourn the loss of Lehman alumni Freda Ocran, former head nurse of Jacobi Medical Center who worked on the front lines, and the stepfather of former nursing student Walkiris Cruz-Perez. 

“We can take precautions to protect ourselves and healthcare officials by washing our hands and practicing social distancing, along with wearing a face covering when possible,” says Giovanni Rodriguez, a Lehman Nursing student.