People are becoming tired of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I am on the list of those suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic fatigue. It bothers me that I can’t socialize without physical distancing, and it really bothers me that the jazz venues are all closed to live shows. Baltimore has fabulous jazz venues like Caton Castle, Andie Musik, and Keystone Korner. We have performances in the outstanding auditorium at the Baltimore Museum of Art hosted by the Baltimore Chamber Jazz Society, whose president is our own Bill Murray. And the Peabody Conservatory has a fabulous jazz program where the leader is none other than Sean Jones, one of the foremost trumpeters in the world. My wife, Tracey, and I really miss going to Peabody to hear the students play under the tutelage of Maestro Jones.
Okay, that’s enough of me moaning. I know that this will come to pass, and I will get to do the things that I enjoy doing in my spare time again. More importantly, however, I see fatigue in the eyes of our physicians, nurses, and other clinicians who have now been standing up against COVID-19 for the past five months. I cannot overstate the value of their hard work and tenacity in service to the community. While they are tired, they are not shirking their responsibilities. I am so proud of them and truly am grateful that they come to work every day even though it can be draining.
I am thankful to all our leaders, our chaplains, Joe Hart and Sandy Rector, in the hospital, and our many wonderful Gilchrist chaplains, for helping our employees mourn the loss of patients and to gain resilience by reflecting on how their teamwork has helped so many patients manage their symptoms and recover.
I am happy that patients are returning to get care that they have put off during the height of the pandemic; however, the return of non-COVID patients has put extra stress on the clinical staff. We can’t forget that we were in a nursing shortage before the pandemic, which is now being exacerbated by school closings and child care issues.
So, if you, too, are suffering from Pandemic Fatigue Syndrome, please stop and reflect on how it is affecting others and see if there is some way that you can lessen their burden. After all, we are all in this together.
Thank you for recognizing our fatigue! In addition, the front line workers are suffering from real physical fatigue from wearing N-95 masks for 24, 36, 40 hours a week. Being a nurse or other health care worker during this pandemic is like nothing we have experienced before; in addition, our family lives are more demanding than ever. Kudos to everyone who continues to provide excellent care to our patients during this difficult time.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anonymous. Our infection prevention experts are checking for new knowledge daily to make sure that our designs keep our people safe and minimize the hassle and fatigue.
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