Twin Cities nurse shares view from inside hospital helping COVID-19 patients

The Minnesota Department of Health announced Wednesday that 320 Minnesotans are currently being hospitalized with COVID-19 while 119 patients need treatment in Intensive Care Units.

Nurse Kelley Anaas spends her days helping patients at a Twin Cities hospital.

"We’re living it every day,” Anaas said. “It kind of felt like we’re in a perpetual bad dream."

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS last spoke with Anaas back in mid-March when she joined other nurses at the start of COVID-19 pandemic who experienced shortages of personal protective gear.

‘Tension in our chests’: Minnesota nurses on frontlines of COVID-19 say more equipment needed

Since then Anaas said her hospital has enough PPEs and other equipment to protect staff.

Nor have they run out of beds to treat those who are sick.

"It’s not just old people, it’s not just people with chronic conditions, it’s young people with no health history who are getting this disease badly," Anaas said. “It weighs heavily on you.”

This nurse said she’s truly thankful to have never lost a patient to COVID-19 on a shift.

According to the MDH website as of Wednesday, 4,644 people have tested positive for the virus with 2,043 no longer requiring isolation.

MDH reports 463 new COVID-19 cases, nearly 100 more than previous high

She feels social distancing by Minnesotans is key to helping hospitals combat the coronavirus.

“Doing the best they can to avoid getting this disease, it’s what’s going to rescue Minnesota and what’s going to rescue Minnesota’s health care workers," Anaas said.

One of the most difficult parts of the job she said is that families are not allowed to be by their loved one’s bedside in order to control the spread of the virus.

COVID-19 has changed this one nurse’s outlook on life.

"I’ll never take for granted getting to come home… getting to leave… be healthy and come home to my family," Annas said.