Some frontliners shared their experience in fighting the virus, including wearing diapers and holding urine just to save PPEs (personal protective equipment).
Deza Rubite was a nurse assigned to the intensive care unit of the COVID-19 ward of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). She shared all of their patients there were intubated and in critical condition.
Before going on duty, she had to prepare herself for wearing the PPE for straight eight hours.
But even she was given two sets of PPE, Rubute didn’t even think about changing, so she just wore a diaper. If she goes to the comfort room, she will have to remove the protective suit. In doing so, there is a risk of her being exposed to the virus.
She couldn’t even leave her patients for a moment.
“Ang hirap maghubad ng PPE, kung iihi ka, parang andun ang risk na puwede ka ma-expose… Minsan stable, minsan hindi ang mga patients, parang hirap ding iwanan para lang lumabas at umihi,” she said.
(It’s hard to remove the PPE. If you’re going to urinate, there’s the risk that you would be exposed. The patients were sometimes stable, sometimes not so it’s hard to leave them for a moment so I could urinate.)
Dr. Jonnel Poblete said the process of wearing and removing (usually takes one hour) the PPE is meticulous.
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Some frontliners wear diapers, hold urine to save PPEs
Meanwhile, Dr. Jai Cabajar, an internal medicine resident in PGH’s COVID-19 ward, wanted to save their limited number of PPEs.
“Iniisip ko kung magtatanggal ako ng PPE, magsusuot ako ng bago, kabawasan pa ‘yon para sa ibang tao. ‘Yung ibang hospital nga nagkakaubusan na ng PPE, but kami madami naman na donors, pero ayoko na lang sayangin,” she said.
(I thought that if I remove my PPE and I will wear a new one, it would lessen the supplies for other people. Other hospitals are already running out of PPE, but we have many donors, but I don’t want to waste it.)
Cabajar also shared her ritual before wearing PPE. She said she would wake up at 5 am and would not drink water anymore because she knew she could not urinate until 2 pm. She also said she had to hold her urine once she wears the PPE. She cannot even eat or drink while in the protective suit.
Department of Health said over 1,000 health workers already tested positive for COVID-19.