BOSTON (WHDH) - A Boston doctor says healthcare workers in Massachusetts are becoming overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic as more than 100 employees in city hospitals reportedly test positive.
“We’re just in this kind of constant state of paranoia and fear,” Dr. Lakshmana Swamy said. “The atmosphere is so tense, some of us have known each other for years and years, and we’re like strangely scared of each other.”
Swamy works at Boston Medical Center, where CNN reported that 15 staff members have the virus.
He says without adequate testing, more people are at risk of becoming sick.
“We’re really not at the point where I think we need to be where we are testing all of the healthcare workers because how many people do we see? If one of us gets knocked out, we could take out so many of our colleagues,” Swamy stressed.
The doctor added that he is worried that was is happening in New York City could happen in Boston.
“Right now, that’s the hot spot and I think what scares me most is that’s going to be a lot of places,” he cautioned.
Swamy says the entire intensive care unit at Boston Medical Center is now focused only on coronavirus patients, who are being kept away from their families.
“The combination of not enough protective equipment and also the real fear that this can be transmitted is leaving us with critically ill patients who are left with strangers, which is us,” he said.
Swamy added that while the ICU if focused on coronavirus patients, they also have other patients who are critically sick that need care.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)