‘Like a war zone’: Michigan ICU nurse breaks down after 13-hour shift

An intensive care nurse from southeast Michigan has shared a tearful plea after a long shift treating critical coronavirus patients.

Adrianna Zappavigna

less than 2 min read

March 27, 2020 - 2:13PM

'Like a War Zone': Michigan ICU Nurse Breaks Down After 13-Hour Shift

Footage has emerged of an emotional intensive care nurse, exhausted after working a 13-hour shift treating COVID-19 patients.

Registered nurse Melissa Steiner from southeast Michigan shared the brutal reality of fighting the pandemic on the front lines.

The video was recorded after her first shift in the newly designated COVID-19 ICU at her hospital.

“I don’t know what the f**k just happened,” she said to the camera in a video obtained by Storyful.

“Completely isolated from my team members, limited resources, limited supplies, limited responses from physicians because they’re just as overwhelmed as we are dealing with a ton of other stuff.”

Ms Steiner tearfully described how she spent 13 hours caring for two critically ill COVID-19 patients.

“This is my new normal for the next however many months it takes for this virus to die down,” she said.

“I’m already breaking … please take this seriously.”

‘I’m already breaking,’ Michigan nurse Melissa Steiner tearfully admitted. Picture: Storyful

Ms Steiner is one of the many nurses, doctors, carers, GPs, pharmacists and volunteers who feel as if they’re fighting a losing battle.

The head of the United Nations told leaders of the world’s 20 major industrialised nations during an emergency virtual summit today: “We are at war with a virus – and not winning it.”

The virus is now present in 175 countries and more than 22,000 people have died.

As the number of cases in Australia escalates, experts are urging authorities to put Australia in full lockdown.

With infections now growing close to 3000, some experts have backed the idea of a full lockdown, including the Grattan Institute, as it would bring infections under control within a few weeks and allow shops to re-open, avoiding the need for a longer period of disruption.

Many other countries have taken this path including China, Italy and India.

However, others say a full lockdown may not be necessary if there was better testing for COVID-19 and people actually complied with the current restrictions.