“Treat our Healthcare Heroes with kindness. Don’t take them for granted. Don’t ignore their cry for much needed help. Don’t dismiss their real fears like nothing and insignificant. Don’t continually place them in the meanest, unsafest working conditions. Your heroes learn and remember. Your heroes hearts and spirits breaks. When it’s your time begging and crying for help, they may no longer be there.”
The US has reported its highest one-day Covid-19 death tally: Over 2,800 – CNN 12/3/20

We can manufacture more medications and ventilators to treat COVID-19 patients but we can not manufacture the license professionals that are needed to give and monitor them timely, safely.

For some with severe COVID-19 infection and complications it only takes minutes, hours or a few days from the time they arrive at the Emergency Room to death. This short window of emergent life and death situation depends on enough medical staff to administer the medications to treat COVID-19 and place patients on ventilators. Once on ventilators, ICU nurses are needed to monitor patients. Safe nurse to patient ratio is 1:2, ideally it’s 1:1. Once downgraded from ICU, patients still needs continuous care and monitoring by Telemetry and Medical-Surgical Nurses. Safest nurse to patient ratio is 1:5. The bigger the gap between the nurse to patient ratios, the higher the complications and death rate.
Monday, Clinics in our area are back to lockdown mode which means they will NOT see their patients in person because of concern of getting sick or dying. This will cause a flood of sick patients seeking care to our Emergency Rooms and Urgent Care Clinics. For Bedside Healthcare Providers there will be no rest nor holidays this year.

Imagine a hospital functioning with half of the medical professionals whose patient’s survival depends on. It’s terrifying and actually is at play in many of our hospitals now. This will reach crisis mode few weeks post Thanksgiving and Christmas when there may be no more beds and license staff to accommodate and care for the new severe COVID-19 cases. We will see patients in the hallways unmonitored. Some will die alone because medical staff will be triaging the sickest and most emergent when in a disaster. Just like everyone who is free to choose and decide, medical staff are trained to choose and decide which one they will save first when the numbers are overwhelming.

51 PEOPLE ARE DYING EVERY HOUR FROM COVID-19 IN THE U.S. THIS NUMBERS WILL DOUBLE WHEN THE SUPER SURGE ON TOP OF AN EXISTING SURGE BEGINS IN 3-4 WEEKS.

So what happens if most U.S. Hospitals run critically low on its medical staff during its darkest, longest COVID-19 surge? I don’t what to answer that because the possibility is more horrific than what we are already witnessing. I hope and pray I’m wrong, but the trend is spiking too fast, too quick. 2-4 weeks post Thanksgiving, America will experience a Tsunami COVID-19 wave many will wished they stayed home and listened.

There will be a mass exodus of nurses in places where they are treated unsafely, badly and paid poorly. Some will be tempted to go at the many COVID-19 outbreak epicenters in the country because of the monetary incentive, others will move to areas they have a higher chance of being alive. It’s already happening as you read this. It’s going to happen more as it gets worse.

“Early in the pandemic, hospitals were competing for ventilators, COVID tests and personal protective equipment. Now, sites across the country are competing for nurses. The fall surge in COVID cases has turned hospital staffing into a sort of national bidding war, with hospitals willing to pay exorbitant wages to secure the nurses they need. That threatens to shift the supply of nurses toward more affluent areas, leaving rural and urban public hospitals short-staffed as the pandemic worsens, and some hospitals unable to care for critically ill patients.”- by Markian Hawryluk and Rae Ellen Bichell, Kaiser Health News

“No amount of money in this Earth is worth our health, life or happiness. On our last days, we will beg for more time and wished we didn’t waste them chasing the world or people.”

I asked 6 days off to spend time with wife and son for Thanksgiving week. We stayed home, ate the food we love, watched TV, worked out together, redecorated and finished our DIY projects. Absolutely NO flying or traveling where crowds are.

Black Friday, we took a day trip to our favorite roadside spot overlooking Big Sur. We shared Safeway chicken nuggets and Five Guys cheese burger inside the car before taking a short walk to see the ocean up close. Whatever we did, it was all about Family Quality Time and being safe. We slowed down because it’s the only way to enjoy and appreciate our precious borrowed time. We celebrated the Christmas joy early too because we needed it more than ever. We laughed till our bellies hurt and our jaws numbed.

“It’s okay to dream past tomorrow but always enjoy the dream we are thankful now. They go by quick before we even realize they’re already gone. These includes our job, health, life, family, friends, even moments we could have been happier.”

Happy Holidays to all my blogger friends. Thank you for all the inspiration and motivation this year. My world has been better, kinder because of all of you. Truly, I appreciate you. 🙏
“Truth is uncomfortable but it will keep us alive.”
Related Articles:
The US Recorded More Than 4 Million COVID-19 Cases In The Month Of November
Millions Of Americans Traveling For Thanksgiving, Ignoring CDC Advice
The U.S. could face an “Apocalypse” by Christmas
“Running out of hope. Running out of help.”Nationwide coronavirus surge pushes hospitals to the edge
‘We’re drowning’: COVID cases flood hospitals in America’s heartland
The Covid-19 Vaccine: When Will It Be Available for You?
Need a COVID-19 Nurse? That’ll Be $8,000 a Week
Newsom warns of regional stay-at-home order as COVID-19 hospitalizations hit record
I really wish people will take this COVID-19 threat more seriously, because more people being careful will reduce the load on health workers. Someone I know fell ill and took a COVID-19 test recently, and tested positive. I was sad to hear that his boss said the test wasn’t probably correct, and that he should still come to work; that his body was reacting to a bit of stress, and it means he doesn’t know how to manage stress. My friend needs his job, so he had to comply.
I’m glad he is recovering rapidly, but thinking about the fact that he still had to go to work when he was ill worries me. Who knows if he may have infected others? All we can do at this time is pray.
My heart goes out to all the health workers. I pray for their joy and safety in this difficult time.
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I truly hope your country will start to take this serious and that the vaccine will be available soon.
Glad you had time out with your family.
Take care my friend
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Thank you so much for your great share,
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I am glad you got to enjoy a peaceful Thanksgiving. It is so hard to understand what is really going on in our world. I do appreciate all I have and who I have in my life. I appreciate all of the healthcare and front line workers ❣ My heart hurts for all of those who suffer in so many ways (many we do not even realize, the toll this is taking on lives around the world).
Peace, hope, health and blessings to you and your family 🙏🏻
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I think so much about the healthcare workers and how they are being affected during this pandemic and the personal toll it must also be taking on their loved ones. I can only imagine the mental trauma they will be living with when this pandemic is long gone. Very thankful for them!
I’m glad you got the 6 days of restful time with your family. Burgers by the beach and water and then a walk sounds just like heaven. More than ever, it’s these little moments that matter most!
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Thanks for your sobering posts about what’s really happening on the front lines, and behind the scenes of this pandemic.
A doctor from a local hospital says that he supposes some people won’t realize how serious things are until someone dies waiting 10 hours to be triaged into his hospital’s emergency room.
It’s great that you got to take some time off.
My prayers continue for you and the brave people on your team. There’s 12 of you, right?
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