Wearing PPE kit while at work is not easy: Covid warrior

K G Chandrakala, a Covid warrior, is working as a staff nurse at the taluk hospital in Virajpet.

She takes her food and drinks water before wearing the PPE kit as one cannot drink or eat anything after wearing the PPE kit as it can be removed only after the shift ends.

“After wearing a PPE kit for a long time, I have developed an allergy. I realised this only after starting to use the PPE kit. After wearing a PPE kit for only half an hour, one cannot bear the heat,” she said.

But, there is no respite from it. The kit will have to stay till the end of the shift, she added.

She said that she including other nurses and doctors have to wear a PPE kit while treating people who are Covid-19 positive.

Only those who wear it can understand the hardship of managing with it, she said.

“We sweat a lot inside the kit and we cannot wipe it because the kit can be removed only at the end of duty hours,” said Chandrakala.

The Covid-19 pandemic hit at the time when she was transferred to Virajpet. In the past year, she has collected samples from thousands of people and has sent them to the laboratory for testing.

While collecting nasal and throat swab samples, one has to be extra cautious, she said.

To ensure safety, she wears a triple-layered mask and then wears a PPE kit.

Chandrakala lives with her husband, a son and mother-in-law.

As she does not want her family members to get infected, she takes all precautionary measures. She also uses sanitiser before entering the house.

She said she has administered vaccines to around 7,000 people so far.