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The city of Wuhan in central China is under apocalyptic conditions since a new coronavirus that causes respiratory illness emerged there and began spreading out of control. For a week, the city has been under a quarantine that residents say is causing shortages of food and supplies. The thousands of cases in the city are also putting a strain on its medical system, with two makeshift hospitals being built and medical professionals arriving from all over the country in an effort to keep up with the outbreak.
These photos of nurses getting ready for their first shift in the coronavirus ward upon being deployed to Wuhan show the extent of the preparation they have to undergo, cutting and even shaving the sides of their hair so their medical caps can fit snugly against their heads. Additional photos show all the layers that go on after that to prevent them from contracting the disease from their patients.
RELATED:
Nurses cut each other’s hair in preparation to wear coronavirus protection gear
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold, but a few have been known to cause more serious illness. The new coronavirus is said to cause fever and respiratory symptoms (cough, difficulty breathing,) with the BBC reporting that, as with most coronaviruses, it poses the highest risk of complications like pneumonia to the elderly and those with immune insufficiency. Of the nearly 8000 patients confirmed as of January 30, about 170 have died, most of whom had existing chronic health issues.
After getting dressed, they write their names on the bulky suits to identify each other
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Nurses wear gear to keep particles out of their eyes, noses and mouths
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Medical staff have had to rush to Wuhan from all over China to assist in the city’s overburdened hospitals, where patients and staff alike were seen sleeping on the floor, and staff have reportedly been wearing adult diapers to save time and avoid having to strip out of their tightly taped-up biohazard suits.
A Wuhan resident who lives with his father told Al Jazeera that when his father became ill with typical coronavirus symptoms, he planned to rest at home, but four days into the illness, a fever of 40°C (104°F) forced him to seek medical help. By that time, most of the hospitals in the city had queues stretching out the door with people left waiting outside, potentially for hours. The man says that it took two more days for his father to be admitted to a hospital, where he was treated for three days and is now recovering. This congestion making it difficult for new patients to be admitted is exacerbated by what Chinese people describe as widespread medical inequality. The disproportionate distribution of resources and qualified medical professionals to the highest-grade hospitals in wealthier areas leads to a distrust of local clinics, meaning that people go straight to these hospitals for outpatient concerns or tests.
Overworked medical staff fall asleep wherever they are
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Image credits: Astroboys2019
Commenters are amazed by the conditions these nurses have to endure
What do you think ?
Chris Yuen 6 years ago
I got emotional because beside the name they also write "add oil" on the back meaning like good luck/do your best
Lou Lopez 6 years ago
Thank you for adding that level of nuance to this article. I wish them all the luck in the world.
Load More Replies...
John Louis 6 years ago
I am certain the US nurses show the exact same dedication. Nurses are the most trusted professionals out there. Bless you for your hard work and dedication. You have our extreme thanks!
Popescu Adina 6 years ago
This is not a competition... most nurses everywhere are just as dedicated to saving lives. This is a reflection of how serious things are over there. I wish them all the luck and strength in the world
Load More Replies...
Carol Emory 6 years ago
Nurses Rock! They are way underpaid and under appreciated. Most of us have had an encounter with one at some point in our lives. Make sure to thank a nurse today!
jknbt jknbt 6 years ago
all these people are GENUINE HEROES and deserve the HIGHEST RESPECT... Thank you, Chinese health workers & all health workers on the front lines of this battle... THANKS!!!
Dianna Siever 6 years ago
I did some reading and found that it's obviously EXTREMELY contagious (the best guess right now is through the air) and in most cases causes double pneumonia.
Cassie 6 years ago
It is an airborne virus. I applaud all the people encouraging everybody to wash their hands, and, while that can temper the spread of most illnesses, washing hands will not slow down the coronavirus that originated in Wuhan in December. The only thing keeping it from spreading hard and far out of China is the vigilance and effort to keep it contained by immediately quarantining every infected person found outside of China.
Load More Replies...
Brandy Grote 6 years ago
Oh, my claustrophobia! Bless their hard working souls. This virus is no joke. We MIGHT see a vaccine against it next year, but it might be like the flu and mutate.
Christine M Quigley 6 years ago (edited)
We had to get 'fit tested' every year for those N95 masks, although they come in different sizes. But they are very snug to your face. Of course they're overwhelmed, there's not enough equipment seems to be a huge problem. Medical staff will always make sacrifices for the greater good, especially in those circumstances.. hard to see those pictures with them sleeping..
Itzel Anahi 6 years ago
All N95 masks in my area are sold out within a 100mi radius. I live in Los Angeles. Now I'm scared.
Bobby's Girl 6 years ago
I have a box of N95s from back when SARS was going around. Glad I kept them! I'm near Chicago.
Load More Replies...
Just saying 6 years ago
No. It's currently not even as deadly as regular flu.
Load More Replies...
Alex edward 6 years ago
Wuhan doctors giving their best to protect people from coronavirus and it's really hard to survive with this disease. It's not only in Wuhan but also spreading in other countries. I was recently reading the article to take some necessary precautions to protect yourself from coronavirus https://mesheble.com/best-mask-for-coronavirus-disease/
Phyllicia Goh 6 years ago
It's really sad that I often saw news on Weibo where doctors were being attacked by patient's family member. They were slashed and quite a few didn't make it or simply crippled by the injuries. It's really sad. I just don't understand the reason behind this.
Nouveau Way 5 years ago
We have no words enough to describe your works. You are showing the max strength of humans this time. A great salute to all of you.
CORRINE STANLEY 6 years ago (edited)
How come I haven't seen this before. I knew the Corona Virus was bad, but I have never seen pictures of the nurses and what they have to go through.
Heather Atwood 6 years ago
This is for sure an emergency in China (and other really heavily populated areas) but it is not much of a threat in the US. Fact: more people die of the flu, and there is a vaccine for that! If germs were visible, we would all dress like that every day!
Sandy Eigler 6 years ago
Thanks for sharing this! It shows more of the human side of how nurses really have to deal with this! I hope they all make it through this stressful time!
misteriosa 6 years ago
Hair will grow back, it is more important that those who are healthy do not catch it, and those who caught it make a full recovery. Good luck out there.
Cat 6 years ago
All the respect for the medical professionals who are doing their best. Meanwhile, some medical staff in Hong Kong called for strike, completely ignoring the oath they took. SMH
Cold Contagious 6 years ago
That's extremely sad and scary to think they'd lose that amount of caregivers during this crisis. As someone who has worked in the medical field as a CNA, doing a lot of hands on body contact and assist or do body waste clean up, the fear would be excruciating, but you have precautions everyday. The fear and stress would be overwhelming for some, but you have to be there for your patients and do what it takes to get thru. I know it doesn't compare, but during ice storms, I have been picked up at home by the rescue squad and taken to work and then returned home when they could find enough ppl to rotate out. You just have to tough it out.
Load More Replies...
Isog Sargent 6 years ago
Fake. To believe this we'd have to believe that this is worse than we've been told.
Ian Smith 6 years ago
Shaving, especially dry shaving, damages the skin and increases the risk of infection. That's why they stopped shaving surgical sites
Magpie 6 years ago
Actually they still do shave for surgery. Just now they often shave when the person is in pre op. This reduces the time between the shave and surgery. Which fixes the old problem. Gotta love evidence based health care. In this situation a good fit with the mask is very high priority.
Load More Replies... DeviLish 6 years ago
Okay. I found time to gather some information and obviously I overreacted just a liiiittle bit :D
Load More Replies...
punk isn't dead 6 years ago
Not all Chinese do that sort of thing, that's called stereotyping.
Load More Replies...
Chris Yuen 6 years ago
I got emotional because beside the name they also write "add oil" on the back meaning like good luck/do your best
Lou Lopez 6 years ago
Thank you for adding that level of nuance to this article. I wish them all the luck in the world.
Load More Replies... John Louis 6 years ago
I am certain the US nurses show the exact same dedication. Nurses are the most trusted professionals out there. Bless you for your hard work and dedication. You have our extreme thanks!
Popescu Adina 6 years ago
This is not a competition... most nurses everywhere are just as dedicated to saving lives. This is a reflection of how serious things are over there. I wish them all the luck and strength in the world
Load More Replies... Carol Emory 6 years ago
Nurses Rock! They are way underpaid and under appreciated. Most of us have had an encounter with one at some point in our lives. Make sure to thank a nurse today!
jknbt jknbt 6 years ago
all these people are GENUINE HEROES and deserve the HIGHEST RESPECT... Thank you, Chinese health workers & all health workers on the front lines of this battle... THANKS!!!
Dianna Siever 6 years ago
I did some reading and found that it's obviously EXTREMELY contagious (the best guess right now is through the air) and in most cases causes double pneumonia.
Cassie 6 years ago
It is an airborne virus. I applaud all the people encouraging everybody to wash their hands, and, while that can temper the spread of most illnesses, washing hands will not slow down the coronavirus that originated in Wuhan in December. The only thing keeping it from spreading hard and far out of China is the vigilance and effort to keep it contained by immediately quarantining every infected person found outside of China.
Load More Replies... Brandy Grote 6 years ago
Oh, my claustrophobia! Bless their hard working souls. This virus is no joke. We MIGHT see a vaccine against it next year, but it might be like the flu and mutate.
Christine M Quigley 6 years ago (edited)
We had to get 'fit tested' every year for those N95 masks, although they come in different sizes. But they are very snug to your face. Of course they're overwhelmed, there's not enough equipment seems to be a huge problem. Medical staff will always make sacrifices for the greater good, especially in those circumstances.. hard to see those pictures with them sleeping..
Itzel Anahi 6 years ago
All N95 masks in my area are sold out within a 100mi radius. I live in Los Angeles. Now I'm scared.
Bobby's Girl 6 years ago
I have a box of N95s from back when SARS was going around. Glad I kept them! I'm near Chicago.
Load More Replies... Just saying 6 years ago
No. It's currently not even as deadly as regular flu.
Load More Replies... Alex edward 6 years ago
Wuhan doctors giving their best to protect people from coronavirus and it's really hard to survive with this disease. It's not only in Wuhan but also spreading in other countries. I was recently reading the article to take some necessary precautions to protect yourself from coronavirus https://mesheble.com/best-mask-for-coronavirus-disease/
Phyllicia Goh 6 years ago
It's really sad that I often saw news on Weibo where doctors were being attacked by patient's family member. They were slashed and quite a few didn't make it or simply crippled by the injuries. It's really sad. I just don't understand the reason behind this.
Nouveau Way 5 years ago
We have no words enough to describe your works. You are showing the max strength of humans this time. A great salute to all of you.
CORRINE STANLEY 6 years ago (edited)
How come I haven't seen this before. I knew the Corona Virus was bad, but I have never seen pictures of the nurses and what they have to go through.
Heather Atwood 6 years ago
This is for sure an emergency in China (and other really heavily populated areas) but it is not much of a threat in the US. Fact: more people die of the flu, and there is a vaccine for that! If germs were visible, we would all dress like that every day!
Sandy Eigler 6 years ago
Thanks for sharing this! It shows more of the human side of how nurses really have to deal with this! I hope they all make it through this stressful time!
misteriosa 6 years ago
Hair will grow back, it is more important that those who are healthy do not catch it, and those who caught it make a full recovery. Good luck out there.
Cat 6 years ago
All the respect for the medical professionals who are doing their best. Meanwhile, some medical staff in Hong Kong called for strike, completely ignoring the oath they took. SMH
Cold Contagious 6 years ago
That's extremely sad and scary to think they'd lose that amount of caregivers during this crisis. As someone who has worked in the medical field as a CNA, doing a lot of hands on body contact and assist or do body waste clean up, the fear would be excruciating, but you have precautions everyday. The fear and stress would be overwhelming for some, but you have to be there for your patients and do what it takes to get thru. I know it doesn't compare, but during ice storms, I have been picked up at home by the rescue squad and taken to work and then returned home when they could find enough ppl to rotate out. You just have to tough it out.
Load More Replies... Isog Sargent 6 years ago
Fake. To believe this we'd have to believe that this is worse than we've been told.
Ian Smith 6 years ago
Shaving, especially dry shaving, damages the skin and increases the risk of infection. That's why they stopped shaving surgical sites
Magpie 6 years ago
Actually they still do shave for surgery. Just now they often shave when the person is in pre op. This reduces the time between the shave and surgery. Which fixes the old problem. Gotta love evidence based health care. In this situation a good fit with the mask is very high priority.
Load More Replies... DeviLish 6 years ago
Okay. I found time to gather some information and obviously I overreacted just a liiiittle bit :D
Load More Replies... punk isn't dead 6 years ago
Not all Chinese do that sort of thing, that's called stereotyping.
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