The 21st Show

How are healthcare workers holding up?

Produced by Ryan Andrew Wilde and Zainab Qureshi
 
Dr. Manjul Shukla transfers Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine into a syringe, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021, at a mobile vaccination clinic in Worcester, Mass.

Dr. Manjul Shukla transfers Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine into a syringe, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021, at a mobile vaccination clinic in Worcester, Mass. AP Photo/Steven Senne

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The omicron surge is continuing to put strain on hospitals and healthcare workers. The vast majority of the 7,100 hospitalizations in Illinois right now are being driven by the unvaccinated, who Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, says comprise 80% of hospitalizations. ICU beds are also becoming a scarce resource, with just 9% available in the entire state.

We were joined by three frontline healthcare workers to answer questions about COVID-19 and discuss morale and experiences among healthcare workers during the pandemic. 

GUESTS: 

Dr. Michelle Prickett

Pulmonary and critical care specialist, Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Dr. Julie Lewis

ED medical director, OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington

Dr. Brendan McEvoy

Attending Physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana | Clinical Assistant Professor at Carle Illinois College of Medicine

 

 

Prepared for web by Owen Henderson

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