(CNN) – As the world takes refuge collectively to protect itself against the coronavirus, medical professionals come to the front line to work long hours caring for an increasing number of infected people.
One of them is Dr. Nicola Sgarbi, 35, who unknowingly became part of a growing photographic trend of healthcare workers in the face of this exponential increase in sick patients.
Italy has been indicative of the increase in infections. On Saturday, the country had more than 47,000 coronavirus cases and some 4,000 deaths from the disease. Sgarbi is a doctor-in-training working in the ICU of the Baggiovara Civil Hospital in Modena, Italy.
Almost everything to do with Sgarbi’s shift on March 13 was part of his new normal since the outbreak: working 12 hours to treat covid-19 patients while wearing protective gear. But at about 8 p.m. that day, he took off his mask and took a quick selfie, something he rarely does.
Dr. Nicola Sgarbi
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“I mainly took the photo for two reasons. First, to send it to my partner, to tell him that I had finished my shift at work and that I was on my way home, slightly bruised, ”Sgarbi told CNN by email. “Second, showing it to my 1-year-old daughter when she’s grown up. I will tell you about this moment. “
Sgarbi’s photo was posted on Facebook and Reddit, where it was shared more than 74,000 times and voted at least 118,000 times, respectively. The photo generated worldwide praise and comparisons to “Batman and Superman in one,” among other things.
Since then, numerous photos and stories of healthcare workers with and without protective gear have been published. Each captures the physical and emotional cost this pandemic is having.
Sherry Dong, 25, is a registered nurse who has worked in the ICU at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for more than two years. On Friday, he shared a photo on Reddit taken during a busy day at work. The photo was taken at the top of the Reddit home page and collected more than 2,100 comments.
“My heart is grateful and my mind is sad seeing medical professionals from around the world put themselves at risk to fight this outbreak. I think the medical community has found several ways to deal with social media, “Dong told CNN in a Reddit message.
“Our uninformed readers must ensure that they do not contribute to the growing problem of supply shortages (ie: N95 masks, face masks, disinfectants, gloves, etc.) and consider donating to local hospitals,” he said.
Some of the most striking photos have come from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of Covid-19.
A portrait was taken on February 17 of the marks left on Nurse Cao Shan’s face after working in the isolation room at Wuiny’s Jinyintan Hospital, designated for patients with coronavirus.
“She and her husband, a doctor who also works in the hospital, have slept in the vehicle for 23 nights to avoid viral risks, save travel time and give their colleagues the assigned hotel room nearby,” said the caption. .
Nurse Cao Shan in Wuhan, China.
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These photos are an important oral tradition that will hopefully provide a warning story to the general public, said Dr. Anna Yaffee, director of Emory University’s Global Health Section in Emergency Medicine. Yaffee hopes that these images will be a powerful reminder of the realities that healthcare professionals face on the front line every day.
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“People may not be aware of the realities of health care in general and certainly not during this pandemic, but I hope that sharing the images reinforces the point that there are people who work tirelessly 24 hours a day to save lives with care for those who are sick, for coronavirus and any other ailment, ”Yaffee told CNN by email.
“We are not heroes, we are just doing our job, and now our jobs ask us for more at a time when we have fewer resources to work. We are doing this because we care. “
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Sgarbi does not feel like a hero. He is simply a “normal person who loves his job and who, now more than ever, is proud to do it by turning it all in,” he wrote on Facebook.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my career,” Sgarbi told CNN. “I believe that to overcome this extremely demanding moment, we need the effort and commitment of each and every one of us.”
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