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Frontline workers fighting to take care of COVID patients as cases surge

As hospitalizations rise in Florida, frontline workers are working around the clock to take care of COVID patients.

SAINT PETERSBURG, Fla. — Hospitalizations are rising for COVID patients in Florida, which means healthcare workers are busy taking care of those who are sick.

At Northside Hospital in St Petersburg, Helena Walo serves as the Chief Nurse Officer, overseeing all caregivers. She says her nursing staff is busy taking care of COVID patients, but keeping a positive attitude as they deal with the tough times. 

“What I see every day as the nursing leader is courage, passion, resilience," Walo said. 

Nurses are currently handling more than just taking care of patients' health; on COVID floors, they're the only people patients get to see.

“They are there when our families cannot be there," Walo explained. With safety precautions in place, family members and friends can't visit patients on a COVID floor. 

RELATED: Florida hospitals seeing younger patients admitted with COVID-19 compared to pandemic's start

“They’re holding the hands of people who just want someone to sit with them," Walo explained. In some cases, nurses hold a patient's hand as they take their last breath. 

Nurses are also assisting patients by communicating with their family members so they don't feel alone. 

“They’re connecting them with families. They’re connecting them by phone," Walo said.

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Throughout the pandemic, Walo said nurses have been there for each other. And as cases rise in Florida, nurses want to see the people around them do the same. 

“We’re all on the same team and we’re all trying our best to make sure people have what they need to stay safe," Walo said.

As nurses are faced with tough tasks, they are asking people to get vaccinated. 

"What they are saying is the people who previously not opted to be vaccinated, consider that," Walo added.

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