Our Modern Heroes: The Many Faces Of Health Workers Fighting Against Coronavirus

• Healthcare workers around the globe have been sharing their photos, showing their bruises and tired faces after long hours of treating patients infected with coronavirus (COVID-19).
• Protective masks and goggles make deep marks and scars on their faces as serve for hours every day to assist their patients.
• They hope that through these photos, other people will be reminded to “stay at home” to help minimize the spread of the virus.

As most people across the world are currently stuck at the comfort of their homes and watching movies, doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers are working long hours in the hospitals, fighting tirelessly against the spread of the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19).

To reiterate their public reminder for everyone to stay home, doctors and nurses have shared their selfies, showing deep marks on their faces from wearing their protective gears and goggles the whole day.

PART 1 – Two-part film shows Chinese healthcare workers putting on personal protective equipment.

In the UK, many doctors & nurses are still not receiving adequate PPE. Some are having to reuse face masks. #coronavirus #COVID2019 #covid19 pic.twitter.com/RFwIGTCdLh

— Stefan Simanowitz (@StefSimanowitz) March 25, 2020

Case in point, Natalie Silvey of London showed her face after working a 9-hour-shift in the hospital.

This is the face of someone who just spent 9 hours in personal protective equipment moving critically ill Covid19 patients around London.

I feel broken – and we are only at the start. I am begging people, please please do social distancing and self isolation #covid19 pic.twitter.com/hs0RQdvsn3

— Natalie Silvey (Stay at home – save lives) (@silv24) March 21, 2020

Emma Sterba of Kent, England, commented on Silvey’s post, and said that she can relate with her experience.

I feel your pain this was me last night on shift as a critical nurse when I went on my lunch hour after wearing a mask and all the gear and do you know what I wouldn’t be doing anything else! pic.twitter.com/o1BtcyLFPk

— Emma Sterba (🅂🅃🄴🅁🄱🅉) (@84sterbz) March 21, 2020

Nicola Sgarbi of Italy shared his picture on Facebook after working for 13 hours in the ICU. Sgarbi however said that he does not consider himself a hero. He was doing it because he is passionate about his job.

Martina Benedetti of Italy also shared that the protective gears were extremely hot inside and you can feel your breath, drops of sweat falling from your face inside the plastic glasses. She also said that the waterproof coat was bigger and heavier, but she needed to make an effort to move “fast and snappy”.

Alessia Bonari of Milan, Italy, showed her bruises in her Instagram pic:

“I am physically tired because the protective devices are bad, the lab coat makes me sweat, and once dressed, I can no longer go to the bathroom or drink for six hours,” Bonari lamented.

View this post on Instagram

Sono i un'infermiera e in questo momento mi trovo ad affrontare questa emergenza sanitaria. Ho paura anche io, ma non di andare a fare la spesa, ho paura di andare a lavoro. Ho paura perché la mascherina potrebbe non aderire bene al viso, o potrei essermi toccata accidentalmente con i guanti sporchi, o magari le lenti non mi coprono nel tutto gli occhi e qualcosa potrebbe essere passato. Sono stanca fisicamente perché i dispositivi di protezione fanno male, il camice fa sudare e una volta vestita non posso più andare in bagno o bere per sei ore. Sono stanca psicologicamente, e come me lo sono tutti i miei colleghi che da settimane si trovano nella mia stessa condizione, ma questo non ci impedirà di svolgere il nostro lavoro come abbiamo sempre fatto. Continuerò a curare e prendermi cura dei miei pazienti, perché sono fiera e innamorata del mio lavoro. Quello che chiedo a chiunque stia leggendo questo post è di non vanificare lo sforzo che stiamo facendo, di essere altruisti, di stare in casa e così proteggere chi è più fragile. Noi giovani non siamo immuni al coronavirus, anche noi ci possiamo ammalare, o peggio ancora possiamo far ammalare. Non mi posso permettere il lusso di tornarmene a casa mia in quarantena, devo andare a lavoro e fare la mia parte. Voi fate la vostra, ve lo chiedo per favore.

A post shared by Alessia Bonari (@alessiabonari_) on Mar 9, 2020 at 3:22am PDT

Megan Patterson of Ohio said she’s afraid that their hospital is already running out of resources and protective gears.

View this post on Instagram

I’m not afraid when I’m at work. I’m doing what I was trained to do. I’m afraid when we run out of resources— supplies and staff. Covid19 is real and it’s here. Stay home, wash your hands and stop buying all the things that healthcare workers need to do their job. When we don’t have what we need to take care of you, we too will become ill… then who’s left to take care of you and your loved ones? #nursesofinstagram #nurselife #covidnurse #n95mask #maskmarkings

A post shared by Megan Patterson (@megsm16) on Mar 21, 2020 at 5:58pm PDT

Check out some of the other photos below:

This is what you look like after wearing an N95 mask all day. We don’t have enough of anything. We need @SenSanders more than ever now. Help us help you. #SandersSisters #NursesForBernie pic.twitter.com/jfVKPct2cD

— genithecrankynurse (@genithecrankyn1) March 19, 2020

View this post on Instagram

Front do coronavirus! A máscara machuca e dá falta de ar. #nurselife #FIQUEEMCASA #epis #covıd19 As marcas não mentem. . . . . #coronavirustesting #coronavirusitalianews #coronaviruspandemic #coronavirüsü #coronavirusbrazil #coronavirusespaña #coronavirusoutbreak⚠️ #coronavirusitaly #coronavirusquarantine

A post shared by Amanda Ramalho. (@amanda.ramalhoo) on Mar 22, 2020 at 9:29am PDT

View this post on Instagram

To all The Nurses And Doctors On the front lines!!🙏🙏🙏🙏🤲🤲🤲🤲 Big Salute To All Those Doctors And Nurses Serving All Over The World !

A post shared by Diaries From The Field (@covid_nurses) on Mar 22, 2020 at 7:43am PDT

The face of compassion during a pandemic.

A Wuhan nurse, Cao Shan showed her bruises and goggle mark after long hours of working in the isolation ward in Jinyintan Hospital.

The DIY PPE of frontliners in the Philippines

Meanwhile, health workers from Philippines have been spotted wearing PPEs made from trash bags and plastic bags due to equipment shortage in the country.

So far, the deadly coronavirus has infected more than 341,000 people from 167 countries.

Watch this disturbing video taken inside the busy intensive care unit of a hospital in Bergamo, Italy.