As the number of cases in the United States surges past those in China, an increasing number of healthcare workers are being deployed to hospitals and the ICU to help care for the COVID patients. Too many of these workers are doing so without personal protective equipment, or PPE. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), many healthcare facilities are struggling to access equipment to prevent their employees from contracting the virus. One main issue for this hazard is that the medical gloves and N-95 masks required to protect the healthcare workers are not reusable, yet numbers of doctors and nurses who do not have the proper supplies must continue to see patients.

In Ohio alone, 16% of the diagnosed cases are healthcare workers, many of whom must seek separate housing to protect their families, making their jobs even more difficult.

Although these healthcare workers are dedicated to caring for patients and slowing the spread of COVID-19, it is difficult to eliminate a virus without a cure. 

The best way to support these employees is by obeying the quarantine and social distancing. By maintaining at least 6 feet away from others and self-isolating, people can help to flatten the curve and to slow the spread of coronavirus. As healthcare workers continue to put their lives on the line, it is important that the nation listens to their message: “We stayed at work for you. You stay at home for us.”