Heart-wrenching video of a Chicago nurse setting up a virtual visit for one of her severely sick and isolated COVID-19 patients is a sobering reminder of the seriousness of the pandemic — as the US continues to grapple with rising cases.
Decked out in head-to-toe personal protective gear, nurse Alma Abad arranges visits between families and their sick relatives at Roseland Community Hospital on the city’s South Side via iPad.
Among Abad’s patients in the intensive care unit at the hospital is Florence Bolton, who has been battling the deadly coronavirus.
In a video taken by Reuters, Abad is seen taking off Bolton’s oxygen mask and propping her up in her ICU bed so that her family can greet her.
“Hey, Grandma,” one of Bolton’s relatives says over the virtual call as Abad gently tries to rouse the 85-year-old woman, according to the emotional footage.
“It’s OK, grandma,” the relative adds.
Abad then tells Bolton’s family, “She knows. She heard your voice, guys.”
During the video, Bolton’s family members are heard telling Bolton that they love her.
“She’s blinking her eye. She opened them a little bit,” Abad then tells Bolton’s family members.
Such virtual visits are part of a growing trend in the US, which saw COVID-19-related deaths surge past 2,000 for two days in a row this week.
On Wednesday, the coronavirus death toll reached a new record high, with 2,804 lives lost within a 24-hour period, surpassing the previous record of 2,603 set on April 15 during the height of the pandemic, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.
Nearly 200,000 new cases were reported in the US on Wednesday, with hospitalizations peaking at over 100,000 patients.
COVID-19 has so far killed more than 277,000 Americans and sickened more than 14.2 million in the US, according to the latest data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.