SANTA MONICA, CA – DECEMBER 15: A patient survived a blue code and was then rushed to the ICU to be intubated and placed on a ventilator inside the Providence Saint Johns Health Center on Tuesday, December 15, 2020 in Santa Monica, CA. (Francine Orr / Los Ang
WEST COVINA, California – A registered nurse in West Covina, California, is pleading with the public to ‘stop being careless’ as she witnesses an overwhelming number of patients in her ICU unit during the latest outbreak of COVID-19. In a TikTok video posted before the holidays, Gayana Chuklansev looked visibly shaken when comparing his hospital to a ‘war zone’.
“We don’t have ventilators for patients. We don’t have sedatives. Patients are dying like flies,” she said in her post during her shift at West Covina hospital, which has garnered 1.4 million views in the past few days.
“We are full. We are at full capacity. We have no resources. We have no employees,” says Chuklansev, holding back tears.
Chuklansev describes the difficulties that his hospital faces during the last coronavirus outbreak and how doctors are overburdened with patients, making it difficult for each person to treat.
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“We didn’t sign up to watch patients die because we can’t help them physically,” explains Chuklan. “So, please, stop being careless. Please stay home during the holidays because it will only get worse.”
A regional home stay request has been extended in southern and central California for at least the next three weeks, state health officials announced on December 29.
Los Angeles County, which recorded 40% of all COVID-19 deaths in the state, reported another 227 new deaths on Tuesday, although the new daily record included reports of holiday delays. The county’s public health department also confirmed the highest number of hospitalizations recorded in one day, in more than 7,000 people, an increase of almost 1,000% over two months ago.
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California health officials announced an extension of December 6 blockade restrictions to the county and another 22 in southern California and the San Joaquin Valley agricultural area. The regions have about 60% of the state’s population of 40 million and have also seen outbreaks of COVID-19 since the Thanksgiving holiday, which left hospitals struggling to find beds for patients in emergency and intensive care units.
Some hospitals have set up tents to accommodate emergency room patients and one has converted a disabled cafeteria to serve patients.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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