South Dakota nurse says dying patients “don’t believe the virus is real” [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• A registered nurse in South Dakota shared on Twitter her exasperation over many of her patients who still don’t believe that they’re dying of complications from COVID-19.
• Jodi Doering told CNN that even though patients have tested positive, still they insist that it must be pneumonia or lung cancer that they have.
• Currently, South Dakota has recorded 62,521 cases with 821 new cases identified on Monday. 

A South Dakota ER nurse on Monday expressed dismay that many of her patients are in denial of the realities of COVID-19 even while at death’s door.

In a viral tweet over the weekend, Jodi Doering shared her sadness and frustration about patients who insisted that the virus is not real while “gasping for breath on 100% Vapotherm”, even adding that their last, dying words are, ‘This can’t be happening. It’s not real.’ “

As of Monday, South Dakota posted 821 new infection cases adding to the 62,521 confirmed cases statewide. Already 20 percent of hospital beds in the state are occupied with COVID-19 patients.

Despite people testing positive for the coronavirus, Doering said that people want it to be influenza or pneumonia. “We’ve even had people say, ‘You know, I think it might be lung cancer.’

Further, Doering told CNN’s ‘New Day’ that numerous patients would even vent their anger at nurses like her, calling them names and mocking them for wearing protective masks and clothing.

“I think it’s just a belief that it’s not real and nursing happens to be on the receiving end of that,” she told CNN, further saying that although it makes her mad, “you know that you’re just going to come back and do it all over again.”

Some patients even took to arguing with her about President-elect Joe Biden. Doering tweeted that despite Biden taking steps to enforce mask mandates to curb the spread of the coronavirus, patients still told her that he “is going to ruin the USA.”

Meanwhile, South Dakota’s Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, who did not impose a statewide lockdown order earlier this year, continues to denounce the mask mandates.

Ian Fury, Noem’s communications specialist told South Dakota’s The Argus Leader on Friday that even Biden knows that the president isn’t authorized to institute a mask mandate.

“For that matter, neither does Governor Noem, which is why she has provided her citizens with the full scope of the science and trusted them to make the best decisions for themselves and their loved-ones.”

Source: The HILL