Doctor From Vitsebsk: It’s Insanely Scary What COVID Turns Strong Healthy Men Into

There is just one conclusion: people, stay at home.

Darya Yushkevich, a doctor at the Vitsebsk ambulance service, wrote about this on Facebook:

“Here are some takeaways from my first working night.

Of course I knew where I was going. I knew it was the dirty zone, intensive care. But I still had some pinkish glasses over my eyes.

Those glasses broke into tiniest pieces in the first three working hours.

This is scary.

This is insanely scary what this disease turn strong healthy men into. When you pull off his mask to give him some water, and he, having gulped twice, says, exhaustedly: put it back, I’m dying.

When there’s some mountain man, like a mythical hero, and you enter his ward at night to check whether he is sleeping, and he grabs your hand asking: girl, stay with me for a while.

When an old lady, whio saw a lot in this life, is looking at you with her eyes full of tears, and whispers quietly: “Is that death already? I cannot breathe…”

It’s wrong (or even naive) to think that a person would return the way they were after a long time on the lungs ventilation. The hypoxia of the brain does its creepy deed, and the behaviour gets unpredictable… I think it’s clear.

Also, there are two factors that do not allow to ease the inner tension for at least one minute - the constant cough from all five wards, and the beeping of the machines… You know, there was such a torture in ancient times: they put a man in a cell, and there was water dropping nearby. Drip-drop, drip-drop… And the man would go insane in the end.

I tried to take a nap at 3 a.m.

But.

It’s horribly cold in the nurses’ office and post. I don’t know what it is - the side effect of the old building, or the special “love” of our state to medical workers, but only two heaters helped. Otherwise you would just shiver. Three times I fell into some anxious, sticky sleep, and all the three times someone’s hand lied on my shoulder - Dasha, wake up, we need help.

In other conditions I would have a cup of coffee and pull myself together. But I am a healthcare worker in the dirty zone.

So I tried to refresh myself by ignoring the elevator whenever I could.

There is only one conclusion: people, stay at home. Wear gloves, respirators, and masks. Do not wander around shops and malls with no special reason.

This is indeed VERY SCARY.”