USA TODAY Iowa Network and Lee Enterprises
Published
7:47 pm UTC Dec. 22, 2020
Nurse Connor Ramirez balances a cellphone between her ear and shoulder blade as she maneuvers a patient’s bulky bed through Mary Greeley Medical Center’s back hallways. Four colleagues run alongside, toting medical equipment and the patient s belongings as the sun finally begins to peek out from a cloudy morning fog.
“Elevator G-29,” Ramirez says over the commotion, dispatching a cleaning crew to disinfect the lift just as soon as they hang up.
“We’re transferring a COVID patient to the ICU.”
In Waterloo, nurse Kelly Barnett dons a gown, an N95 mask, a face shield, gloves and goggles to work on the COVID floor at UnityPoint s Allen Hospital. Barnett prayed as she drove in this morning, as she does every day. She pleaded with God to help her patients recover and begged for Iowa to turn the corner on the virus still sweeping our state.