“I think it’s sporadic,” replied Sophia L. Thomas, president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. “I mean, I talk to my colleagues across the country. Certainly there are pockets all over the country where PPE is not ideal, but this is an unprecedented moment.”
Thomas said he works in a New Orleans community health center and that his youngest Covid-19 patient was 4 days old.
“The infection control measures we learned when we went to school, a suit and a mask for one patient a day – this is a different time,” he said, adding that he reused a single N95 mask for “somewhere between week “.
“PPE was sporadic, but it was manageable. And we do what we have to do,” said Thomas. “We are nurses and we learn to adapt and do everything we can for our patients to do the work and care provided, and that’s what we will continue to do as Covid-19 continues.”
Despite his direct experience, Trump contested Thomas’s account.
“Sporadic for you but not sporadic for many other people,” said the President.
“Oh no, I agree, Mr. President,” she replied.
“Because I felt the opposite,” said Trump. “I heard they are now full of clothes. We had empty shelves and nothing empty because it hadn’t been put there since the last administration.”
Frontline health workers reported IPR deficiencies as the virus crossed the country and the White House worked to facilitate the accelerated production of items such as masks and clothing since the start of the pandemic.
Coffee enthusiast. Travel scholar. Infuriatingly humble zombie fanatic. Thinker. Professional twitter evangelist.
