A mother and daughter nurse duo volunteering in New York in the fight against Coronavirus have narrated their experience while attending to patients carrying the killer bug.
Ms Ona Onyia, 23, and Uchenna Onyia-Murphy, 49, from Arkansas are among a wave of hundreds of out-of-state nurses who moved to New York City to work at overwhelmed hospitals.
They decided to go to Elmhurst Hospital, called “the epicenter of the epicenter” of the coronavirus outbreak, for several reasons.
Speaking to CNN, Onyia said, “Our desire to help triumphed our fears. Seeing how understaffed and overwhelmed New York hospitals were, we wanted to help and learn so we can help our hospitals back home if things got out of control.”
“I’ve seen more death here than in my entire career. People going from talking to being put on the ventilator within minutes,” she says.
“It has been mentally and physically exhausting, but rewarding in so many ways.”
“This virus will be around for a while, and this experience has fully prepared me to help my home state if it has outbreaks. I feel like I can work anywhere after this,” she added.
