For the second Christmas in a row, hospital workers will face the trauma of Covid-19 patient deaths – CNN

"It's clinically, psychologically impossible to do this year in and year out," Scotty Silva, respiratory care director at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, told CNN. "Even the strongest respiratory therapists that I have (have) broken down at times."

In Omaha, Nebraska, the staff is "very worried about what's to come after the holidays" and is urging people to get vaccinated to protect themselves and others against severe illness, Covid-19 ICU nurse Haleigh Seizys at Nebraska Medical Center said Wednesday.

"Day to day, things are tough," Seizys told CNN's Ana Cabrera. "I have a patient who is not doing well. It takes a lot of time and effort from several different people to try and help these patients improve.

"I truly am exhausted," she said, although she remains motivated to "help whoever I can."

The US averaged 1,303 Covid-19 deaths a day over the last week, 14% higher than a month prior, according to Johns Hopkins data.

Earlier hopes have been crushed

Clinical nurse manager Dominick Armijo was filled with hope when vaccines were approved, he said. He was the first person in New Mexico to get the shot.

"We thought the cases were going down with the vaccination," he told CNN. "Then all of a sudden, it was like, 'Wham-bam, here we go again.'"

He couldn't have accounted for the number of people who refused the vaccine and then filled up his ICU, he said -- people like Angela Byers.

"I was an anti-vaxxer but not anymore," she told CNN. "This is hard, this is really hard. This has knocked me for a loop.

"I wish I had gotten vaccinated sooner. I wouldn't be here. That's the regret."

"I genuinely wish that they could come and follow me for just an hour so they could see how much their feet hurt and see how many people are trying to hold back tears day to day, and they can see the trauma these patients are going through," she said. "These people are dying very traumatic deaths, and it's so hard to watch."

"We need to watch that very closely," he told CNBC on Wednesday, noting that it's not clear whether the uptick is due to Delta or if "it's an early indicator of rising Omicron infections winding up in the hospital."

"We're not panicking," she said. "We have the resources we need."

New vaccine and booster mandates

"The vaccines are working, and they're working well to keep people out of the hospital and to keep people from dying from Covid-19. So, we don't need those type of shutdowns, but we do need more people to get vaccinated and boosted," Bowser said Wednesday at a news conference.

Grocery stores, retail stores and museums would not be required to check for proof of vaccines, and religious institutions are exempt, officials said. Eligible students in Washington, DC, schools are also mandated to get vaccinated by March 1.

"These steps will help limit a potential outbreak on our campus and in our community and protect those most vulnerable to this virus," a statement from Duke said.

In California, health care workers -- already under a vaccine mandate -- will be required to get a booster shot, and students will be tested before returning to school in January, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday.

Covid-19 testing crunch arrives

With the surge of Omicron cases -- and Christmas and New Year's fast approaching -- the demand for Covid-19 tests is greatly exceeding current supply and has resulted in long lines nationwide, as well as a risk of positive cases not being detected.

More treatments get authorized

Paxlovid is not for pre- or post-exposure prevention of Covid-19 and "is not a substitute for vaccination in individuals for whom Covid-19 vaccination and a booster dose are recommended," the FDA said.

CNN's Deidre McPhillips, Jamie Gumbrecht, Amanda Sealy, Aya Elamroussi, DJ Judd, Laura Ly, Sam Feist, Kristina Sgueglia, Stella Chan, Sarah Fortinsky, Adrienne Winston and Daniel Maraccini contributed to this report.

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For the second Christmas in a row, hospital workers will face the trauma of Covid-19 patient deaths - CNN