One Mississippi hospital addressing team after photos show ER staff without protective equipment
Published 2:36 pm Monday, December 14, 2020
- Illustration of antibodies (red and blue) responding to an infection with the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (purple). The virus emerged in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, and causes a mild respiratory illness (covid-19) that can develop into pneumonia and be fatal in some cases. The coronaviruses take their name from their crown (corona) of surface proteins, which are used to attach and penetrate their host cells. Once inside the cells, the particles use the cells' machinery to make more copies of the virus. Antibodies bind to specific antigens, for instance viral proteins, marking them for destruction by other immune cells.
One Mississippi hospital is responding to allegations that emergency room staff members are not wearing proper personal protective equipment.
WLBT news reports that photos of emergency room staff members at Merit Health Natchez sent to the television station show staff members with the proper equipment to protect themselves and to protect patients.
The television station chose to not show the photos publicly out of respect for the privacy of the individuals.
In a private email to the television station, the viewer asked whether the unmasked staff could be contributing to the spread of COVID-19 in Natchez and the state.
Merit Health spokesman Kay Ketchings responded to WLBT by stating that it is addressing the issue with its team members and that the images do not reflect the established protocols at the hospital. Ketchings said it takes the issue very seriously.
