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Sleepless nights. Postponed surgeries. Infection fears. What life is like for health workers on the front lines of a pandemic

Three health-care workers at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre share their stories of working on the front lines amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

8 min to read
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From left to right: Daria Gefrerer is a nurse practitioner who helps oversee Sunnybrook’s COVID-19 Assessment Centre. Dr. Shady Ashamalla is a surgical oncologist and the head of Sunnybrook’s division of general surgery. Ray Joseph is Supply and Equipment Supervisor for Sunnybrook's emergency department and trauma centre, the biggest in Canada.

For all of us, the arrival of COVID-19 — and the threat of its insidious spread — has upended daily life.

In hospitals, the upheaval is particularly pronounced, with extraordinary measures to protect patients and staff from the virus impacting all aspects of patient care.

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Dr. Shady Ashamalla, surgical oncologist and head of Sunnybrook's division of general surgery, says telling cancer patients their surgeries are postponed has been very difficult.

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An attendant in full protective gear aides people through the entrance of the Assessment Centre at Sunnybrooke Hospital on March 18, 2020.

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Daria Gefrerer is a nurse practitioner who helps oversee Sunnybrook’s COVID-19 Assessment Centre. Until recently, Gefrerer was a nurse in the hospital’s birthing unit.

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Swab kits for testing COVID-19.

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Ray Joseph, Supply and Equipment Supervisor for Sunnybrook hospital's emergency department and trauma centre, has found the COVID-19 pandemic has brought enormous pressures to the job.

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The emergency entrance at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre on April 24, 2018. Sunnybrook became the scene of organized chaos as ER staff began providing care to victims of the Yonge St. van attack; ten people were killed.

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Megan Ogilvie

Megan Ogilvie is a Toronto-based health reporter for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @megan_ogilvie or reach her via email: mogilvie@thestar.ca.

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