JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – News4Jax visited the COVID-19 ward at UF Health Jacksonville on Friday and watched as nurses and care workers went from patient to patient, doing what they could to help.
Registered nurse Cecile Gonzales has been doing this since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and said this wave is worse.
“It’s very overwhelming. The numbers are very overwhelming. From the last surge, there was a time we were actually down to two patients,” Gonzales said.
But that was months ago. She and others are watching as young patients now fill the seventh floor.
Patient care associate Alex Clark said he has seen patients ages 23, 19 and 14.
“They are miserable, they are hurting, they are upset, they are scared, and as a COVID survivor myself, I know the feeling,” Clark said.
Clark said he caught COVID-19 before the vaccine was available. He ended up in the intensive care unit and said he was pretty bad off. He has since recovered with, so far, no long-term effects
“So I can help them get through it. I’ve helped so many people mentally get through this, this week,” Clark said.
Both Gonzales and Clark have been vaccinated, and the work is nonstop.
“It is overwhelming, and how sick they are. Right now, the only thing that is helping is, of course, the hospital is compensating us with bonuses, but even then with that, we are still coming in short with staff,” Gonzales said.
But what they said they worry about most is potentially another surge because beds are filling up and they hope there will be enough space should it get worse.