A COVID-19 surge in Missouri that is being fueled by the delta variant has taken its toll on hospital staff there. Registered nurse Brittany Dillard has been working at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Missouri, since January.She told sister station 40/29 News that she’s seen more patients die in the last two weeks from COVID-19 than in the last 6 months. "There’s not a time I help a family member call their family and I don’t cry, I sit in the corner and just sob," Dillard said.For the past 16 months, Dillard has been travel nursing across the country in hot spots areas. Last year, she was working on the frontlines in New York City. "Sometimes, I wish I could wear a GoPro and bring people to work with me," Dillard said.She said one of the hardest parts of her job is putting someone on a ventilator and intubating them. "I wish people could see the genuine fear right before I sedate them and put them on the ventilator, because they have no idea if this is the last time they are going to be conscious," Dillard said.She said throughout the pandemic, about half of her patients have come off of the ventilator and recovered, but that's not true with the delta variant. "I have not had one patient where I get to take the ventilator off and they get to succeed and move out of our unit," Dillard said.She said on top of that, she’s been seeing much younger patients in the hospital. “We have mothers and fathers with kids, on their deathbed, losing their battle to this horrible, horrible virus,” Dillard said.She said all but one of her patients recently admitted in the COVID-19 ICU have been unvaccinated."We hear all kinds of reasons, and they are not factually based on at all, it's all something they saw on a not credible site, and it's literally killing people," Dillard said.Dillard said for the past few weeks, the ICU has been at full capacity at her hospital. She says at any one time, there may be over 100 people waiting in the emergency room for a bed.Watch the video above to learn more about this story.
A COVID-19 surge in Missouri that is being fueled by the delta variant has taken its toll on hospital staff there.
Registered nurse Brittany Dillard has been working at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Missouri, since January.
She told sister station 40/29 News that she’s seen more patients die in the last two weeks from COVID-19 than in the last 6 months.
"There’s not a time I help a family member call their family and I don’t cry, I sit in the corner and just sob," Dillard said.
For the past 16 months, Dillard has been travel nursing across the country in hot spots areas. Last year, she was working on the frontlines in New York City.
"Sometimes, I wish I could wear a GoPro and bring people to work with me," Dillard said.
She said one of the hardest parts of her job is putting someone on a ventilator and intubating them.
"I wish people could see the genuine fear right before I sedate them and put them on the ventilator, because they have no idea if this is the last time they are going to be conscious," Dillard said.
She said throughout the pandemic, about half of her patients have come off of the ventilator and recovered, but that's not true with the delta variant.
"I have not had one patient where I get to take the ventilator off and they get to succeed and move out of our unit," Dillard said.
She said on top of that, she’s been seeing much younger patients in the hospital.
“We have mothers and fathers with kids, on their deathbed, losing their battle to this horrible, horrible virus,” Dillard said.
She said all but one of her patients recently admitted in the COVID-19 ICU have been unvaccinated.
"We hear all kinds of reasons, and they are not factually based on at all, it's all something they saw on a not credible site, and it's literally killing people," Dillard said.
Dillard said for the past few weeks, the ICU has been at full capacity at her hospital. She says at any one time, there may be over 100 people waiting in the emergency room for a bed.
Watch the video above to learn more about this story.
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