The Tribune

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT

tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

SHENIQUA Rolle, a Bahamian registered critical care nurse living in Tucson, Arizona, says she uses prayer to combat the fear of catching the deadly novel coronavirus.

To date, Arizona has more than 3,000 cases of COVID-19 and 89 people have died.

“Initially there were no cases in Tucson, Arizona where I work,” Ms Rolle told The Tribune. “Then I came to work one day and we had three positive patients. The hospital was prepared for it, so management decided to separate the ICU for COVID-19 patients vs non-COVID patients and that’s how they managed it from the first positive patient going forward.

“My luck, I got the patients that tested positive for COVID. I initially was not afraid because I bought into the message that it affected older people from what had happened in Italy. I was sitting next to a colleague of mine and I asked her if the COVID-19 patients I was going to care for were old. She told me they were not old. I was shocked. Generally they were in their 40s and 50s. That was the first time I felt concern working with the COVID-19 patients.”

Ms Rolle said she has been on an emotional roller coaster, trying to learn as much as she can about the disease.

“I think I would initially diagnose myself with media toxicity,” she continued. “I read too much, I researched too much on COVID and then I put myself in a state of shock. I became fearful, anxious, very panicky, especially when I first started with them. I had a doctor explain to me that there were two different strains of COVID-19 and I think that was the second time, other than seeing that it also affects the younger population, that I realised I didn’t understand the virus as I thought I did. Then I had flashbacks to all the hoarding and panic shopping and pandemonium around the world and then it all started to make sense to me then.”

Ms Rolle acknowledged there is a shortage of personal protective equipment in US hospitals as that country “begins to climb that mountain of fighting the virus”. She also pointed out that the US east coast is getting pounded right now with cases, but even so, cases are still expected to rise.

“So not only are you concerned about contracting the virus, but you are also concerned about contracting it due to lack of protection that may present itself,” she said. “It hasn’t presented itself to me but I am very much aware of the possibilities. I have been working with some really sick patients, but the first thing I do to protect myself is put a little angel on my name badge. I also pray and feel that I have a force field around me to protect me and I encourage the other nurses who have the same faith to understand that, because you will go insane thinking about the odds that are against you.

“I use the PPEs as provided. In this environment, you never feel that you are protected as you should be, but when you get in the room as a nurse, you just get right into caring for the patient and you don’t even remember which patient is COVID-19 positive. As a nurse, it’s like a reflex, you just go and do what you have to do.”

More than 90,000 people worldwide have died from COVID-19 while more than 300,000 have recovered from the disease. In Italy, healthcare workers reportedly make up nine percent of that country’s COVID cases. Locally, 50 healthcare workers have been placed in quarantine due to exposure to the virus.

The Bahamas has 40 confirmed COVID-19 cases.