Health care workers ring in another new year with concerns about rising COVID-19 cases – KMOV.com
News 4 Reporter
It was a last-minute decision for some St. Louis residents and visitors in town on what the New Year’s Eve celebration would look like for them.
ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) — It was a last-minute decision for some St. Louis residents and visitors in town on what the New Year’s Eve celebration would look like for them.
“We are concerned about the crowds and that will affect what we choose to do tonight,” said Emily Beirne, who was visiting the city form Little Rock, Arkansas.
Some bars and venues kept the celebrations going while other places closed their doors amid rising cases of the COVID-19 omicron variant.
While some places like Paddy O’s told News 4 earlier this week it is reducing to two thirds its total capacity to address potential concerns related to COVID-19, other large scale venues like Ballpark Village were expecting big crowds for its New Year’s Eve celebration.
“I am very concerned. The timing is just absolutely terrible,” said Dr. Farrin Manian, chair of the Department of Medicine at Mercy Hospital St. Louis.
However, it’s healthcare workers that are bearing the brunt of another New Year’s Eve during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s been a kind of roller coaster ride thinking that we should be through this by the end of the year, but as you know this didn’t happen,” said Manian. “I have to also admit that I’m really proud of our healthcare workers. I’m inspired by our healthcare workers for doing all the things that they’ve done in the last year. We wouldn’t be where we are without them, whether it’s in the public health sector, whether it’s in the hospital or clinics.”
Manian says that recognition and respect for healthcare workers has appeared to wane since the pandemic started, but workers are still feeling the burnout.
“We appreciate the public support, and we hope that that continues for what we do. But clearly, we do it for other reasons. And the reasons is that this is what we do. This is what we’re called to do,” said Manian.
His message into the new year is that in order to get through this new surge, the public needs to do their part to prevent hospitals and their staff from being overrun with cases.
“Try to not have huge gatherings, get vaccinated, get boosted if you’re eligible to get boosted. All those things that we’ve been talking about,” he said. “And we’d like for the public to reconsider their objections and their resistance to those measures.”
Copyright 2021 KMOV. All rights reserved.
News 4 Reporter
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Your comment has been submitted.
Reported
There was a problem reporting this.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.
