Summary:
New Delhi, Jan 23 (PTI) Covid fatigue among healthcare professionals is real, says 39-year-old Dr Samir Khurana, recalling how the pandemic and its severe waves in the last two years have left him and many from his fraternity "mentally and physically exhausted".But for Khurana (name changed) the biggest fear was he becoming the spreader of the infection at home.
"It was a huge part of the already stressful and tiring times we were facing," he said."I vividly remember the day the first Covid case was diagnosed at the medical facility in Delhi that I work in.
My shift had just begun and we were updated with the report.
I wore my personal protective equipment (PPE) and started treating patients," he said.Khurana, who did not want his or the hospital"s name to be revealed, said initially he felt claustrophobic in PPE, but "now it has become my uniform"."Since 2020, we are constantly on our toes.
Covid fatigue is real for healthcare professionals who have been tirelessly working for the past two years," he said.Recalling how he lived in a small room on his terrace in isolation after his shift and on some days never returned home, Khurana said, "I had to protect my family, especially my elderly parents who are in their 80s." With the pandemic on the verge of entering its third year, Khurana said, "He and many others feel mentally and physically exhausted." "My daughter will start kindergarten this year and I feel I have missed the first two years of her life.
Even now I isolate myself from my family members and do not participate in family functions," he said.