‘This virus has no rules:’ P.A. respiratory therapist talks about experience working in ICU during pandemic
A respiratory therapist at the Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert says COVID-19 is unlike any disease he’s encountered over three decades of practice.
Marvin Nicklas, one of six respiratory therapists at the hospital, is profiled in a recent media release from the Victoria Hospital Foundation. In it, the 64-year-old specialist talks about the mental toll caring for critically ill patients takes, and how he and other staff put their own fears aside daily to do their jobs during the pandemic.
“This is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. This virus has no rules and it scares the hell out of me,” Nicklas said in the release. “We cannot predict its path – you think it’s going in one direction, and then all of a sudden it goes another.”
While many believe the virus only poses serious risk to the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, Nicklas said he’s also had to intubate young, previously healthy adults during the pandemic.