‘This is a war’ says New Jersey doctor on frontlines of coronavirus battle

New Jersey reported 3,361 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 44,416, according to the state’s governor.

Anesthesiologist Dr. Nina Radcliff, on the frontlines of the coronavirus battle in New Jersey, said it is the duty of all health care workers in the state to care for those sickened by the pandemic.

“This is a war and we all have our roles,” Dr. Radcliff said in an interview with Al Arabiya English.

This is the moment for health care workers to “take care of those who are sick and those who are ill,” according to Dr. Radcliff, who said she joins with over one million health care workers going to work every day in the United States during this crisis.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that health workers at the front line of the outbreak are at risk of infection and are exposed to hazards including “pathogen exposure, long working hours, psychological distress, fatigue, occupational burnout” among others.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy recognized on Tuesday health care workers who “put their own health and lives on the line to provide care for people they’ve never met before.”

Governor Murphy also announced the extension of the state’s public health emergency order by 30 days to ensure “appropriate steps” are taken to protect the public health and welfare of residents. He also closed all state and county parks.

The total number of reported deaths in New Jersey from COVID-19 rose to 1,232 on Tuesday, a figure which Governor Murphy called “almost unfathomable.”

The unprecedented public health crisis has affected medical and emergency personnel alike in the Tri-state area, which includes New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York, and is considered an epicenter of COVID-19.

"Yesterday, I worked 16 hours and I had 13 cardiac arrests, and that's a lot of death," New York Fire Department Lieutenant Anthony Almojera, a paramedic, told Reuters on Monday. "I don't know if any of us would ever be the same after this."

White House medical experts have forecast that between 100,000 to 240,000 American lives may be lost in the pandemic, and even more if social distancing and other preventative measures are not taken seriously.

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