They work in a Charlotte ICU as COVID rages on, and have a plea for the community
In January, Novant ICU nurse manager Cindy Little will welcome her second grandchild born during the coronavirus pandemic.
Originally from Charleston, Little moved to Charlotte a few years ago to be closer to family. Her new grandson will be her fourth grandchild.
But she won’t see her family this Christmas. Instead, she’s working in the ICU during the holiday as well as on New Year’s Day. She missed Thanksgiving gatherings too. In the ICU, she sees Novant’s sickest patients, often with COVID-19.
Many health officials expect to see a spike in coronavirus cases due to gatherings over Christmas. Area hospitals are already dealing with a surge in cases from Thanksgiving.
Ahead of that potential surge, Little and another Novant ICU provider gave the Observer an inside look at their life during the pandemic.
Dr. Alexis Smith is a pulmonary and critical care physician in Novant Health’s Presbyterian Medical Center’s ICU.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, Smith spent half of her time taking care of intensive care unit patients. Now, she’s spending most of her time in the ICU.
During the pandemic, Smith’s been taking two showers a day, one in the morning and one as soon as she gets back from the hospital.
When she returns from work, she puts on a robe she keeps in the garage and heads straight to the shower to wash off any germs she could have brought home. Then she puts her work clothes straight in the laundry.
Like Little, Smith also plans to skip Christmas gatherings with her family. She usually flies to Chicago to see family, including her nieces. Not this year.
“I recognize the fact that the community is really tiring of (COVID-19 restrictions), and as just a human experiencing this, it absolutely is very tiring,” Smith said. “But as a physician, it makes me very sad that (gatherings) immediately lead to people who are so sick.”
COVID-19 cases rising
In recent weeks, local coronavirus levels have shattered previous records, skyrocketing past Mecklenburg County’s previous peak.
Part of that spike comes from people gathering during Thanksgiving, health officials have said. Typically, COVID-19 hospitalizations spike two weeks after holidays.
Average daily COVID-19 cases in Mecklenburg have increased by roughly 81% in the weeks since Thanksgiving. And on Tuesday, Mecklenburg joined all other neighboring counties in the N.C. designated “red zone”, which denotes the most severe spread of the virus based on case rates, percent of positive tests and current strain on hospital beds and staff.
“Our hospital beds are quite full,” Smith said. “…It seems like we’re having to do more and more flexing to try to meet the needs of a very sick community.”
In a beacon of hope in the last week, two new coronavirus vaccines arrived in Charlotte. Health care providers like Smith and Little have been prioritized by the state to receive shots in the first wave of vaccinations.
“We are so excited about (the vaccines), both for ourselves, but also for the community,” Little said. “Because we’re hoping that’s going to be the answer to tamp this down as much as possible.”
But both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two injections, spaced weeks apart. And the general public may not see vaccinations until the spring of next year.
In the meantime, Mecklenburg residents need to continue social distancing and following mask guidelines, Smith said. “It would be helpful if we could all just recommit in the homestretch,” she said.
The mental toll
As Smith and Little prepare for what could be an even larger surge of COVID-19 patients in January, they’re dealing with the mental toll that comes with fighting a pandemic close up.
“It was my dream to be in medical school, and actually right here (working in an ICU) — this is exactly where I wanted to be. And it took almost 15 years to get here,” Smith said. “I had never thought that I would be on the front lines of a pandemic.
“I’m proud to serve my community,” she added. “But I certainly recognize that there are going to be some processing that happens when you get out of this trauma.”
In her free time, Smith tries to take a break from her job: “I’m trying to do exercise, creative things, talking to my dog — he’s very helpful.”
As a nurse manager in the ICU, Little sees every patient in the unit.
Part of her job requires her to call families to talk about their sick loved ones. Because of the pandemic, COVID-19 patients can’t have visitors.
“Our hearts are breaking for them,” she said. “Because we know that it is good for patients to have family, loved ones’ support — and it’s too dangerous.”
But hospital staff have been using Zoom and FaceTime to connect patients to their loved ones.
For months, Little has seen the toll COVID-19 can take on patients and their families. Now, the coronavirus vaccines give her hope that an end to the pandemic could be near.
In the meantime, she and Smith hope others will consider staying home for Christmas.
“We all miss our families and those big social events that bring us a lot of joy,” Little said. “But we’re saying if you can just hang on a little bit longer… We think we can see the light at the end of the tunnel — it’s just going to take a few more months.”
This story was originally published December 23, 2020 at 9:44 AM.
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