'We're all going to get it': An ER nurse in Detroit, with 700 colleagues who already caught COVID-19, describes the pressures of working on the front line of the outbreak

Paul Sancya/AP

A security guard screens visitors before entering Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit on Monday, March 16, 2020.

• More than 700 Henry Ford Health System workers have tested positive for COVID-19, the Michigan hospital group said Monday.
• Business Insider spoke to an emergency department nurse at the main Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.
• He described how his entire unit transformed to deal with the crisis. Many coworkers are out sick, and there are many serious patients to deal with.
• Douglas - who didn't want to give his last name - said he was worried about equipment supplies, though there was enough for now.
• He also described a strange home life whereby he and his mother - also a nurse - are isolating themselves from the rest of their family.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Detroit is quickly becoming one of the new hot zones for the coronavirus outbreak in the US, with Michigan now the state with the third-largest outbreak in the country.

One of the key signifiers that the situation is getting worse is the fact that healthcare workers in the city are getting sick in large numbers.

As of Monday, more than 700 healthcare workers at the Henry Ford Health System, a group of hospitals in and around the city, had tested positive for COVID-19.

Provided

Douglas, a registered nurse at Henry Ford Hospital, is seen above in his scrubs and protective gear.

Business Insider spoke to an emergency department nurse at the main Henry Ford Hospital, who described the "very weird atmosphere" on the coronavirus frontline.

The worker, who asked only to be identified as Douglas, said that his emergency department has been "completely transformed" to deal with COVID-19.

Changes included setting up an outdoor screening tent to turning unused units into critical care areas.

However, he's worried about having enough space to treat patients with the cases in Detroit continuing to rise.

"We're seeing it become a lot worse," Douglas said. "I'm worried about having the capacity, just like New York."

New York City, the worst-hit part of the US, reported more than 74,000 cases on Tuesday, and 3,544 deaths.

Detroit is still far behind - 5,500 cases and 221 deaths - but is projected to get worse.

Douglas voiced concern "with ventilators, with rooms, with staff - because there's people that are getting taken out every day.

"Doctors, nurses, staff aren't able to come to work because they've tested positive and have symptoms.

"The ICUs are becoming very full with the very, very sick."

"It's going to become an even bigger issue as cases rise. We can't make another hospital right now, so we have to convert units, make space where we can and conserve equipment," he added.

So far, Douglas said that the hospital has done a great job of addressing their needs and keeping them supplied with protective gear.

But he says "there's always that fear that we're going to run out."

Most of the materials are locked up because we're trying to make sure we ration them appropriately, making sure we are always as protected as we can be," he said.

Douglas said they're allowed one mask a day, and that gowns are in limited supply.

"It's really scary to be limited by the amount you have. You have to be careful. Someone's N95 [mask] broke the other day and they were like, 'Am I going to be able to get another one?'" he recalled.

Carlos Osorio/AP

Nicholi Larocca moves a new shipment of gloves in the supply room at the Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital on Wednesday, March 25, 2020.

Douglas said he hasn't been working in the critical area recently but has heard about a startling number of deaths.

"The other day when I was working there were three people that passed in the critical area. And that was in my 12-hour shift," he said.

Douglas says one of the most surprising things about the disease is how it affects people in vastly different ways.

He says he'll have some patients presenting with a low blood-oxygen level of 70%, and feel fine, while others will have a reading of 80% and need to be intubated.

(In coronavirus cases, a low blood-oxygen level means that the lungs aren't taking in enough air because they have become filled with fluid. Over time, this lack of oxygen can lead to organ damage and death.)

"I've even had some coworkers that have mild symptoms, a fever for a day or two, and then they're fine. It's interesting the many different ways it presents," Douglas said.

It's easy to see how many people are out sick just by looking at the schedule, he said. During normal times, Douglas says there's always one or two open shifts a day. Now when he looks at the schedule, he sees around seven.

"The consensus with everyone in the department is that we're all going to get it at some point. We just need to be aware that we're protecting ourselves and others properly," he said.

While he himself is not worried about getting a serious case of the disease, Douglas says he is worried about possibly passing it on to a member of his family.

That's why he has been self-isolating in his bedroom at home, where he lives with his parents and two of his siblings.

Carlos Osorio/AP

Healthcare workers test a person at a COVID-19 drive-thru testing site at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital on Wednesday, March 25, 2020.

"When I go home I have to strip in the garage, I have to clean everything off there and go directly into the shower, then go directly into my room," he said.

Douglas's mother is also a nurse who typically works in endoscopy, but has been reassigned to COVID. She's been sleeping in a separate room from her husband.

Coincidentally, Douglas was in the middle of closing on the purchase of a house when the crisis started. When that deal is finalized, he says he and his mom plan to move there and turn it into the "COVID house."

Trying to stay positive while having to stay away from family is one of the biggest challenges, Douglas said.

"Some doctors and nurses have newborn babies at home and they're sleeping in their attics.

"Then when we come into work, patients are very sick. And because of visitor restrictions, family is not allowed to come back. We've had cases where people aren't being able to see their loved ones as they're dying.

"It's just hard being around all this negativity and death and trying to stay positive amidst all of this. We love what we do, being able to take care of people and be there in their time of need...but it does wear," he said.

Business Insider reached out to Henry Ford Hospital for comment Tuesday morning, but did not immediately receive a response.

Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please email covidtips@businessinsider.com and tell us your story.

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