Coronavirus: How can we protect our healthcare heroes?

On Tuesday, March 24, 2020 at 19:30 GMT:
As countries around the world contend with the new coronavirus, many politicians are likening the fight to a war against an invisible enemy. But those on the front lines are not soldiers, they’re healthcare workers. 

Over the past several weeks, doctors, nurses and emergency medical technicians have borne the brunt of COVID-19’s fallout. In China, the first country to grapple with an outbreak, more than 3,000 medical staff were infected with the coronavirus. This was in large part due to fatigue and a lack of protective gear. 

Meanwhile, amid a shortage of ventilators and hospital beds, doctors in Italy are being forced to ration resources, ultimately deciding who lives and who dies.

In the United States and United Kingdom, healthcare workers are trying to learn from other nations’ mistakes. But as the pandemic spreads, many are concerned about successfully beating it back. They’re also worried about their own mental health and potentially infecting their families.

In this episode we ask, how can we protect our healthcare heroes?

On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:
Antoni Torres 
Senior Consultant of the Respiratory and Intensive Care Unit, @UniBarcelona

Niran Al-Agba, MD @silverdalepeds
Pediatrician, Silverdale Pediatrics

Ahmed Twaij @twaiji 
ER/critical doctor and journalist

Read more:
Lessons From Italy’s Hospital Meltdown. ‘Every Day You Lose, the Contagion Gets Worse.’ – Wall Street Journal
Doctors Fear Bringing Coronavirus Home: ‘I Am Sort of a Pariah in My Family’ – New York Times
Europe’s Doctors Repeat Errors Made in Wuhan, China Medics Say – Bloomberg

What do you think? Leave  your thoughts in the comments below.