ABC6: Respiratory Therapist Urging People Not to Let Guard Down Against COVID-19 Spread

Positive COVID-19 cases increased in more than half of Ohio's counties over the last week.  While cases remained relatively flat during March, numbers are now starting to trend slightly upward.  

With one year of providing care for COVID-19 patients under his belt, Chris Mead, a registered respiratory therapist at OhioHealth Grant Medical Center says the past year has had an effect on healthcare workers.  

"It definitely has taken a pretty large toll on everyone in the hospital, especially the ones who work at the bedside, like the nurses, and the respiratory therapists, and the nurse practitioners,” Mead said in an interview with ABC6 reporter Kalea Gunderson.  "It seems like every day we are still adding one or two to the ICU count,” Mead told ABC6.

However, Mead has noticed something positive about hospitalized COVID-19 patients.  They're less sick when they arrive at the hospital.

“The ones that are coming in seem to be less sick than they were when they were initially coming in back in December, and way back in the beginning, but we really didn’t know how to fight this virus once they get into the hospital and in that critical care situation,” Mead told ABC6.

While healthcare workers know much more about COVID-19 than they did at this time last year, Mead cautions that now is not the time to let our guards down.

"We still have to keep fighting for a little while longer until we can safely feel like we’re not going to hit that point again where we are so overwhelmed in the hospital that we don’t know what to do,” Mead said.

To watch ABC6's story with Chris Mead, click on their logo above.  

One way to keep fighting the virus is to still wear a mask in many situations, including when you're out among the general public. For other circumstances, take a look at the chart below!