Health care workers feel strain of caring for others during pandemic

CHARLOTTE — Health care workers have put their lives in danger for the last 15 months during the COVID-19 pandemic to help victims of the virus.

“It kind of came in super quick,” said Megan Yeager, ICU nurse. “We weren’t really prepared for it at first.”

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Dr. Tom Jenike counsels health care workers at Novant hospitals and said many of them saw more death due to COVID-19 than at any time in their careers.

“It’s a helpless feeling and that takes an emotional toll,” Jenike said. “And then beyond that, the people that are providing that care are human beings living their lives, so they have their own stress that comes with the pandemic as well.”

In the video at the top of this webpage, veteran reporter Mark Becker looks into the mental toll that is affecting frontline workers.

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