Where Are the Masks?
“It’s like going to war with a butter knife.” That’s the description one physician in New York City offered for how he and his colleagues are trying to suppress the coronavirus, even as they deal with dwindling stocks of health-care supplies and personal protective equipment.
Over the past two days, I’ve talked with 22 health-care professionals, almost all of whom used metaphors and analogies usually reserved for combat movies. They are “soldiers” on the “front lines” and in the “trenches” fighting a “war” against a terrifying new “enemy” that is growing exponentially. But we’re failing these soldiers, sending them into battle without the weapons and armor they need to win.
[Annie Lowrey: As usual, America must go it alone]
“This is a disaster. [Our health-care workers] are risking their lives,” the physician told me. “We need to advocate for our frontline workers.”
Most of the health-care professionals I interviewed, including the physician in New York, asked to remain anonymous. “I’ve got small kids to support. I can’t afford backlash from my institution [for speaking out],” said a
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