Doctors and nurses don't get to stay at home when an outbreak happens. And since they're dealing with patients directly, they're putting their lives at risk every day. Their job is tough, but it's become unbearable these days. They come home exhausted, with bruises on their bodies and the fear that things will be even worse the next day.
The work situations they're in right now are dire. And by sharing their photos, especially showing what their faces look like after wearing protective gear all day, they make the situation feel even more real. You can see the people who, despite dealing with tragedy and panic all day, still put everything they have into their work, because it's their job to save lives. Even when things look grim, they keep working.
Dr. Nicola Sgarbi was one of the first health care workers who went viral for his mask photo. The Italian medical worker spent a 13-hour shift in the hospital trying to help the people who tested positive. And that's along with others who entered the hospital with other ailments. He snapped a photo after his shift, and it's unbelievable.
"I don't love selfies," Nicola wrote on his March 14 Facebook post, per NBC. "Yesterday, though, I took this photo. After 13 hours in ICU after taking off all my protective devices, I took a selfie."
The post, which showcases deep red lines from hours of wearing protective gear, was shared 74,000 times. People all over the world were quick to share their love and respect on his page. "I salute you and thank you for your love and vocation to your profession," one follower wrote.
"I am not and I don't feel like a hero," he said. "I am a normal person, who loves his job and who, now more than ever, is proud and proud to do it by giving all himself on the forefront lines together with other wonderful people." Many doctors and nurses share Nicola's point of view.
Nicola's not the only one sharing a mask selfie. Doctors and nurses around the world have also snapped photos showing what their faces look like after a grueling shift. By looking at the lines — and in some cases, bruises — you can see how hard they work to try to keep their communities healthy.
One of those who shared the harsh reality of what's happening at hospitals is an Italian nurse named Alessia Bonari. According to Business Insider, Alessia wrote on Instagram that she's "physically tired because the protective devices are bad, the lab coat makes me sweat, and once dressed, I can no longer go to the bathroom or drink for six hours."
These photos also serve as a reminder that people should be staying home. Even if you think you're young and relatively healthy, you can still transmit the coronavirus to someone who isn't. By staying home, you're helping to make sure that there are enough hospital beds for the people in need.
According to nurses, the hospitals have been like a war zone due to the spread of the virus. More than 1,200 health care workers have banded together to tell their stories by creating a shared document online. The New York Times reported some of the things that were shared.
The document was reportedly created by a New Jersey nurse named Sonja Schwartzbach. She created it to prove that the situation happening in hospitals was a lot worse than it was being portrayed as on the news. "There was such desperation," she said. "And it wasn’t being adequately addressed in the news media."
The document was kept anonymous. That way, nobody had to fear losing their job in order to tell the truth. "This isn’t a polite request: This is an urgent demand," the document said. "Tell me your story. Share your situations. I understand that it can feel challenging to be candid as a health care provider, but this is the difference between life and death."
Nurse Sonja has a pretty impressive following on Instagram, which likely helped her spread the word. The document is titled "Covid-19: Mission for Masks," and it highlights how underprepared many hospitals are. "We were told to use a bandanna because so many of our supplies were stolen from patients early on," one nurse shared. This type of protection isn't good enough.
While many of them know that treating outbreaks is part of their job, they're not being treated with much respect while going in every day. "We are being called to jeopardize our own health and safety to treat our community," one nurse wrote. "It is disgusting. I wish more attention would be given to us on the front lines and the situation we face. We live in the richest country in the world and yet we don’t have the tools to perform our job safely. This virus is terrifying."
Products are also being reused. In a hospital setting, that can be very dangerous. So that's why it's important for doctors and nurses to openly showcase the fact that they're out there risking their lives every day. These mask photos show how brutal their workdays are.
Their lives are also changing forever. Having to deal with months at a busy hospital where many patients might not survive is rough on anyone. But they also face the guilt that they may have the virus and accidentally spread it to their other patients due to situations out of their control.
So if you're safe at home and following protocol, you might reconsider posting your own mask photos online — especially if it's a mask that a doctor and nurse could have used instead. Let the mask photos serve as a badge of honor for these hard workers and a memento to remember this unprecedented time in their lives.
And if you happen to have a surplus of masks, please consider donating them to your local hospital, where they'll definitely be used. We need to protect our health care workers the best way we can. They're battling a war, and any bit of support counts during a time like this.
