I am not a hero (2020) - full transcript
At the peak of the COVID pandemic, young friends Pablo and Robin spent night and day in the Erasmus University Hospital documenting the stories behind the numbers. They won't leave until the virus is under control.
The latest confirmed
cases of COVID-19
in Belgium: 1,384
new cases today.
A total of 15,348
infections have
been confirmed
throughout the country.
Of the 1,384 new patients,
912 are
in Flanders, 137 in Brussels...
This cat's not taking the
lockdown very seriously!
Come on. Lockdown for everyone.
Ready?
Ready.
183 recorded deaths
in the last 24 hours. The
threshold of 1000 deaths
has now been reached.
I should leave my mask
on. You never know.
I should take my cap off.
Yeah.
I'm not taking my
top off. No way!
10 centimetres to your right,
Fabio.
To my right?
5 centimetres to your left.
Careful, because in Italy
this is 20 centimetres!
People are required to
stay at home and avoid
contact with anyone
other than close family.
[ERASMUS HOSPITAL,
BRUSSELS 7 DAYS INTO LOCKDOWN]
Are you OK, sir?
Are you OK?
Yes, I'm fine.
We’re waiting for a porter
to come and get you now.
Will I be put in isolation?
Yes,
you're in the COVID-19 unit.
Can my family visit me?
No. Visits aren’t allowed.
None?
No visits.
The patients we see coming in
here have difficulty breathing
they feel like they're
drowning in their own phlegm
they shiver constantly,
they hurt all over,
and their lungs feel
like they’re burning.
And we don't know
how to relieve them
we give them treatments but
we're still not sure they work.
Hello sir, how are you?
I'm OK.
Could be better.
This is a specialised
unit so you’re
not allowed to leave the room.
You can take your mask
off when no one’s around, but
you must wear it if a nurse
comes in to treat you. OK?
Tomorrow,
we’ll explain your test results,
to get you home
as soon as possible.
That’s what everybody wants.
That’s what everybody wants.
Yes.
Good night. Hang in there.
Thank you.
You’re welcome.
It’s up to you. You can
wait here or ring the bell…
I don’t know if
she’ll come out right
away. It depends
on what they say.
That’s fine. She has her
phone in case she rings.
Right.
Thank you very much!
You’re welcome.
Patients aren’t
allowed any visitors,
they’re only allowed
to phone their families.
So they feel very alone.
And when we enter the room,
we’re not family, we’re nurses
so that’s one barrier,
and then all
the gear creates
a second barrier.
So she says to me…
What did she say?
She wakes up
and says to me: "It’ll
never work with
that big butt of yours".
Normally, we’d wear
it front-ways with some
tape, but we’re actually
well protected here so…
Don’t you have any
normal gowns left?
No. Because prices have
shot up around the world.
The price of gowns?
The price of gowns.
So we have to make
do with these for now.
We ordered some
but they never arrived.
We don’t know where they
are. At least we’re protected.
At least we’re protected,
well yeah.
We wear uncomfortable
face shields, a so-called
mask, a cotton gown,
and we tape up our wrists.
So we get very hot
when treating patients.
But what worries
me the most is the
contact we have
with the patients.
Patients see us arrive wearing a
gown, gloves and a face shield.
It must be traumatising
for them too.
As carers we have
to protect ourselves.
But patients who are
sick in bed and weak
see nurses arrive wearing these
space suits. It’s
tough for them too.
How are you?
I’m feeling a bit better.
You're feeling a bit better?
Be brave. You’re
doing really well.
Camille,
can you get me a sheet and
two bed pads? Let’s
change everything.
A sheet and two bed pads?
Yes.
Madame, your gown.
There you go. Is that OK?
Breakfast is on its way.
Now I’ve lost the end. It’s
all a bit complicated, isn’t it!
I don’t look like a nurse,
I look like a butcher.
A fat butcher.
Wow, I can’t breathe
under all of this.
We used to have
much thicker aprons
but now that we’ve run
out of gear, we have to
wear this which is very
thin and tears very easily
so to protect ourselves we
wear these butcher’s aprons too.
This is Europe after all.
We live in a country with
highly sophisticated and
world-renowned hospitals.
Yet here we are
without any equipment.
As health care workers
we didn’t feel safe. They’d
already squeezed the health
system but this is too much
because they squeezed the system
without providing any backup.
So, not only are we
left to face a huge
health crisis without
any equipment
the government has no
idea how to run anything.
Let’s find something. Ah,
that’s a good one.
The job of a coronavirus
ICU consultant
is actually quite monothematic.
At first it was: “how can we
oxygenate this patient’s blood?"
because, as you know, our bodies
can’t survive without oxygen.
And the whole world
was saying that it’s
a lung disease,
it affects the lungs.
In the most severe cases,
the patient is put
to sleep, a tube is
inserted into the airways
and the machine – the
artificial respirator as we call
it – forces air and oxygen
into the patient’s lungs.
Are they here?
We think he still has a good
chance and that we should
try this because we’re not
sure he’ll make it otherwise.
So, really, hang in there. Yes.
Here, Fabio.
Yes?
Is my ear covered?
Yes.
It’s very thin.
Yes, I know but with gloves
on you can’t feel anything.
It looks good, really DIY.
What did you say?
It looks a bit DIY.
Let me take my gloves
off. It’s like a sauna!
We’ll give him a cannula,
like a femoral ECMO,
into the left subclavian
rather than the jugular
that way it’ll go in straight,
in the vessel’s
direction, without the
curvature you have in the...
The idea is to have the least
pressure possible to avoid...
14, you see. It’s only just
functioning with the machine.
Ready, Zoé?
Yes.
We’ll have to check if the
machine is OK for here.
Wait another 5 minutes.
Seriously,
the French are always so slow.
Quick, I need gauze, please.
As soon as we’ve
inserted the cannula,
we’ll administer
a heparin bolus.
All OK?
After a while we noticed
that some of these patients
were developing
complications in other organs.
It’s a disease that can
affect the entire body.
Jérôme! Operating
theatre in half an hour.
OK.
Operating theatre
in half an hour.
And we can stop the heparin now.
OK. I’d like a stretcher though.
We’ve gone to get one already
and some oxygen for the ECHO.
If the machine were
to play up now, he’d die
instantly. Nothing
enters the thorax, nothing.
Do we have to go get the bed?
No, they’ll bring it.
They’ve put a tiny bit…
Ask the anaesthetist
to bring the table.
The anaesthetist is here.
Because there’s no lung left,
and he has a PAO2 ratio of 67.
There’s nothing in his lungs,
nothing.
The second week was a
nightmare because none of our
patients were doing well,
no one was getting better.
We had the impression that
more and more patients were
arriving, all with the same
thing. No one was doing well.
As a doctor, this
inability to find solutions to
these patients’ medical
problems was very hard.
There’s a problem in terms
of the pressure. What’s
going on? The pressure,
where’s the pressure?
I’ve cut it,
it’s done. I’m ready.
What was really unusual
was seeing so many
seriously ill people
all with the same virus
arrive at the hospital
all at once and
within a very short
period of time.
Meryem.
Yes. Oh! How are you?
I don’t know if you’ve heard but
we’re going to be
neighbours again.
That’s what I heard.
Unfortunately, you’re the
last team that’s still open…
Exactly.
And cores were created.
Absolutely, you’ve got it.
So it’s true that
it would be good...
All the technical
nurses were sent here.
Yes. You know, boosted with
3 weeks’ worth of experience.
That’s it, exactly.
Hey,
it’s not much but it’s a start!
We had to open special
COVID-19 units in a hurry.
We opened the first
COVID-19 unit on the 7th floor.
Then a second
COVID-19 unit was opened.
Then, with the influx
of patients and an
increase in the number
of recorded cases
we had to deal with
an influx of ER patients
so we opened a third COVID-19
unit and finally a fourth one.
It’s very tricky because things
can change from hour to hour.
We’re doing the move
today. Basically, we’ll be
moving the unit as it is
down to the fourth floor.
So we’re moving towards
something more positive:
the rehabilitation of
patients coming out of ICU.
There probably won’t
be tons of them, we’re
expecting that,
but there will be some.
Maybe this will just help
send a message of hope that
we’ll be helping these
people recover rather than die.
So I think it’s a great project.
Let Maggie De Block release the
money. Give us
some money for this.
Shame on her! I am angry,
we are angry!
It’s shameful! Shameful! Where
are the millions
they promised us?
Where is the
equipment? Where is it?
No, I’m angry!
OK, so you’re angry,
but think of the patients, OK?
Yes.
Well yes. We can
talk but… Express
yourself by all means,
but… Anyway.
Careful, careful.
So here,
these patients are end-of-life,
end-of-life, and end-of-life.
Three end-of-life patients.
Three-end-of-life patients,
here, here and there.
Good morning.
It’s fine, I can get through.
All good?
Yes. Thank you.
What floor?
Four.
Who are you taking?
[inaudible name]
Yes.
And where’s he going?
I don’t know.
It’s a race.
Well, there’s work to be done.
You have to be coordinated,
organised, combine
forces, but I don’t
see myself as a soldier.
It’s completely different.
Soldiers go to war
and kill people,
we’re here to look after them.
You don’t have to be a
soldier to be organised.
So you’re not at
war like Macron?
Not at all. No, not at all.
Sure,
we’re experiencing a health
crisis, but we’re not at war.
This has to stop. Got to see
things for what they really are.
"We are at war",
it’s ridiculous.
We’re inside. There we go.
Can you see?
Yes.
The thing she has on her
head measures her state of
consciousness. They’re
just stickers, it’s nothing.
The catheter in her
nose is to feed her,
and the tube in her
mouth helps her breathe.
She seems tired.
She has lines. Her
face is really… she seems tired.
She’s spent several
days lying face-down
which leaves marks on the face.
All that is normal,
well… normal.
Yes, yes.
OK.
It looks like she’s
been working hard.
She kind of has been.
She’s fighting a huge
battle, so it’s not
surprising she looks tired.
We’re going to leave
her on her back today.
We lay her on her
front to help the
lungs but we don’t
need to do that now.
So things are a bit better.
I can’t say we’re out of
the woods yet, but we’re
slightly more optimistic.
Let me show you the
photos we’ve put up.
Look.
Ah that’s good, there’s one
of everybody, that’s great.
We put everything
we were sent up.
Oh that’s good. Honestly,
thank you so very much.
That will make her happy
when she wakes up again.
Yes, absolutely.
Honestly, thank you
so much for everything.
We’re doing all we can,
you know that.
I know, I know, we can
see that. We can see that.
I didn’t realise how generous
human beings could be.
To have such
empathy and kindness,
but also… from a professional.
I imagine it’s very hard
for them too. They know
full well that at that moment
they are the only link.
So they have to look
strong to help us keep going.
We washed a patient’s
body after they’d died and…
we had to close this
horrible white body bag.
That’s when you realise
the patient has been
here alone, has died alone,
will be buried alone
and we’ve just
closed a plastic bag.
That’s really hard.
To be honest it’s…
Anyway!
People who are convinced
this coronavirus is not fatal
say: "yes, but the patient
died of something else".
But, thankfully, diabetics don’t
die from one day to the next.
People with high blood pressure
don’t die from one
day to the next.
30 to 40 % of the patients
we have in intensive
care, for flu too,
have other illnesses.
You might suffer
from a chronic illness,
but it won’t kill you overnight.
So I really don’t understand
why people try to downplay
an illness that has completely
changed the way we live.
Not just for doctors
but the population as a
whole. No other illness
would have done that.
What are we being called out on?
COVID-19.
COVID-19?
Yes. Deterioration
of a COVID-19 patient
on the 4th floor,
Peterbos. Peterbos?
We are heading to Peterbos,
can you
confirm the building number,
please?
Number five,
building number five.
OK, roger.
It’s this one. This one.
OK, fine.
Now, take the first right.
I think it’s here.
It’s here, right?
Oxygen, guys.
Yes, I got it.
Hi, what floor?
11th floor.
11th?
11th, first door on the right.
Is it the 14th?
No, there is no 14th,
it’s labelled 11, I think.
Anyway, there are only 5 doors.
Yes? Yes?
Did you call for an ambulance?
No.
OK, fine.
This is the 11th floor.
Where?
Here, right here.
Ah there we go.
The doctor will go in with
the nurse. We’ll wait outside.
Is he alone at home?
Is he in lockdown alone?
Yes.
How long for?
Ever since he got
back from the hospital.
How many days?
Must be a week by now.
A week.
Did they test him here?
Yes, they told him he was
positive and to stay home.
He can’t stay home like this.
It’s not ideal.
It’s impossible.
As soon as he doesn’t feel well,
he
needs to be cared
for and treated.
But if they’re overwhelmed
at the hospital, is it
worth putting him in an
ambulance that has had COVID-19
or going if they won’t
have time to look after
him? The doctor’s
calling the hospital to see.
That’s it.
Are we going to the hospital?
We’re going to the hospital.
I was here two weeks
ago with a Critical
Care Ambulance
for something else
and there were loads
of people in the park.
I said: We’ll be back to collect
COVID-19 patients.
And here we are.
1, 2, 3, that’s it.
Lift.
Saturation level is 92,
plus a good curve.
Let’s add some.
How much oxygen do you want?
Two litres.
Aurélie, 2 litres of oxygen.
It’s not disastrous but...
We won’t be able to
visit him or anything?
If Bracob is like our hospital,
then no. Normally, no.
You’ll just have to see
over the next few days.
I don’t want to give you any
false reassurances or alarm
you unnecessarily so,
you’ll see in the next few days.
But have you already
seen cases like my father’s?
Ah, a lot people who like him…
Who later don’t need
oxygen anymore?
Yes,
they get back to normal. But
some cases can be
more complicated.
There are risk factors,
things like that but... anyway.
It's OK, so...
In any case, thank you.
Hang in there. Goodbye.
Do you like this?
Yes, I do!
You don’t mind it?
No, on the contrary.
Heading back to base now.
We were in Peterbos two weeks
ago in a Critical Care Ambulance
there were loads of people,
it felt
more like a holiday
than a lockdown.
But if you see it from
the point of view of people
who’ve been in lockdown
24/7 for over a month
who have no balcony,
no garden and no
other way of getting
5 minutes of fresh air
well, yes, I do understand
why they’re outside.
But if you look at
what’s going on, they
must realise that
people are sadly dying.
Yes, but it’s not the same,
you and me realise
that because we’re here,
we see them die every day.
When we’re on call we
think: we can’t save them,
they can’t be brought
back because it’s too late.
The average person
with no means, who
lives in a
40-square-metre apartment
with 3 or 4 kids,
they can’t get outside.
They have no choice
but to go to the park to let
their kids breathe a bit,
so it’s complicated.
Yes,
but that’s what we’re saying.
Our government has
no credibility in terms
of the general
population of this country.
All they care about
is the well-being of
a small minority,
and that’s the problem.
Yesterday,
I went to drop the baby off
at Saint-Pierre,
what was happening?
There we were,
the cops were there but
everybody was crowded
onto the pavements.
200 people crammed onto the
pavements, but what can you do?
We’ve just come from
Saint-Pierre, same thing.
There we go. No one wearing
a mask or any protection
loads of people around,
everybody there together and… If
one person is sick, they
will infect another 200 people.
And of those 200 people,
I doubt any have gained
immunity so that means
even more transmissions.
And these people won’t have
symptoms for another two weeks.
Yes, the numbers look
good now but later on…
Maybe even longer.
Yeah, they'll go out
and infect other people.
That’s what’s difficult
for people to understand:
that today’s actions have
consequences for later.
Well, yes.
Have you had
to tell friends off?
Oh yes, every day.
And family members, too.
Because they just don’t realise.
They phone us,
they encourage us, the general
public encourages us by
clapping for us every day
it’s all very well
but it’s annoying.
"I really felt the humanity
that you put into your work
despite the fatigue and
the stress of this pandemic.
So I will clap for you tonight,
and every other night."
There. That was a short
message I received and
wanted to pass on to you
because it’s important too.
I’d never stop anyone
from clapping, it’s really nice,
it’s great, plus it gives the
district a great atmosphere.
My children love it
because they clap for Mum.
But I’m no hero. Well…
I do my job,
I try to do my job well,
but that doesn’t make us heroes.
Basically, why now?
Why now and not before?
We’ve always cared for people.
I’ve cared for lots of
couples who couldn’t
have children,
but later went on to have them.
My colleagues have
cared for grandmothers,
grandfathers, fathers, sons,
children and… why now?
Because we’re caring for
exactly the same people,
except they have a virus that
came from God knows where.
But otherwise we’ve
always worked like this.
And now it’s: "oh yeah,
nurses exist".
Camilla? Can you go see the lady
and check that the
Babyphone works?
Camilla, can you hear me?
No.
Hello.
No.
Oh yes, here. Hello.
Can you hear me now?
Yes.
There we go.
Can you hear me?
I can hear you loud and clear.
One-two-one-two. Bitata hulwa.
Yeah, great. We can
hear you really well.
We can hear really well.
Bitata hulwa,
what does that mean?
You shouldn’t know that. No,
it’s
nothing mean. It
means sweet potato.
Camilla,
the cameraman just asked
[me:] what does Bitata hulwa mean?
Sweet potato, sugary potato.
Who is sweet potato,
you or Meryem?
Both of us. We’re a couple
of giant sweet potatoes.
She’s unbelievable! So it works.
Camilla? Oh no... Madame?
Yes?
Are you doing OK?
Sorry? Are you doing OK?
Yes.
Isn’t this walkie-talkie great?
See you later then.
Erasmus Hospital really is quite
multicultural,
quite cosmopolitan.
I’m of Moroccan heritage,
I speak some Moroccan.
My colleague is Congolese,
she speaks some Lingala.
I have an Italian colleague,
we try to speak to her
in Italian. This mix of
cultures is very rewarding.
Whether it’s nurses,
doctors, or the technical
team, Erasmus Hospital
employees all mix together.
Do you want to
double-bag it or are you OK?
Can you find me one?
Yes, I’ll find you some.
Otherwise here. Hold on,
let me put some gloves on.
Put it down.
Will you help me
carry the second of
these two yellow bags
down? Thanks Agathe.
Put it down here. I
have four trolleys.
Isn’t this room dangerous?
Yes, like this it is.
Aren’t you afraid?
I have no choice. You see,
I have no choice.
What do you mean
you have no choice?
Why don’t I have a choice? I
have no choice. I have to work.
Hello Mohamed, how are you?
Yes.
All fine?
Right, I’m going to eat.
You want to join me?
Sure.
Let’s see what we have left.
Since COVID-19 started
the hospital has been
giving us food. So
we eat fish every day.
Ev-er-y-day!
I don’t eat meat, you see. I’m
kind of vegetarian
but I eat fish.
Well,
we eat fish every day. I like
it but... it’s not
Mama’s couscous.
Madame, no, no, no,
no. Back we go, come on.
Let’s get back to
your room. Come on.
Let’s get you some tea.
What do you say to that?
Come on. Sit down. Let me
bring you some tea, alright?
No sugar, perfect!
Can you put your gloves on?
Would you mind giving it to her?
Thank you Fara.
It’s for the lady
who’s right next door. Perfect.
Is there any cutlery for
me? Looks like we've run out.
Haven’t you eaten yet?
I’ve not had time.
Oh, oh,
oh. Look who’s here. Bernadette.
Did you drink your tea? Was it
good? Or was there
not enough sugar?
There,
back to your room. Well done.
No, we just want you
to wait in your room for a
short while, until all
your results come back.
And then we’ll tell you
when you can go home.
Are you alright?
Where are you going?
I’ll stand by the door
so she doesn’t escape.
My colleague will give
her some drops to calm her
down. That’ll give me
time to get dressed at least.
Thank you.
I’ll come with you.
You’re in bed, great!
We just want to
check that everything's
OK before sending you home.
There we go. Let’s
warm it up again.
I’ve ended up eating alone.
You see, I’m going to eat alone.
Everybody else
has already eaten.
So,
it’s fish for the tenth time.
She wanted to escape.
What?
Through the window.
Who found her?
Her neighbour rang.
Oh boy, lucky she’s all
there. Who found her?
Her neighbour.
Both legs?
It’s lucky her neighbour
was… otherwise…
They wanted to isolate her, but
let’s leave the
neighbour with her.
COVID-19 began, we’re all in a
health crisis, we all know that
there was a beginning
but there's no end in sight.
You might be determined,
you might be here, you might
try to cope, but at some point,
the teams will get tired
stress is exhausting,
the fact that
we’re always in the
hospital is not easy.
That’s really it, it’s the
uncertainty that
weighs on us all.
We don’t know where
we’re headed and that’s hard.
The work we do involves patients
dying but most do pull through.
So we’re more used to winning.
The difficulty here is that
there are a lot of defeats
and failures, in that we’re
not seeing patients improve.
And that’s very
frustrating for the team.
No stress.
Trust us. You are not alone,
even if your family
is far. There are a lot
of us around you here.
We’re not always
in the room with
you but we’re just
behind that door.
Squeeze my hand if you
understand. Squeeze my hand.
He’s not squeezing my
hand. He’s not doing it.
He did it earlier.
Squeeze. Ah,
there. Ah! That’s it. That’s it.
22 days.
-22 days on the ventilator.
-Yes.
How long since he last
saw her? Since he got here?
29th March.
That’ll be a wonderful moment.
Sure.
His wife doesn’t know
he’s been extubated?
She kind of asked
me… I had to say yes.
OK, she knows. So
it won’t be a surprise.
No, I wanted to… but anyway.
That’s fine.
I couldn’t lie to
her and say no.
I understand.
My colleague Sabina.
Don’t worry,
she looks a bit scary!
She’s courageous.
She’s entering the room.
Mr [xxxx].
No panic.
She can see you, wave to her.
We’ve just taken his tube out.
She says that her and the kids
think about him all the time.
Her and your children think
about you all the time, OK?
Alright?
While I was in the coma,
I had a lot of nightmares.
Always about death.
Everybody around me was
dead. People I didn’t know.
I was the only one fighting.
I can see myself
fighting. Always.
Death, death and me fighting.
In different contexts
and different places.
Once in a cold
country. Another time in
Spain. But I was
always fighting death.
And I was always
surrounded by lots of
dead people. Lots of
people who had died.
I was afraid to fall
asleep. Afraid of
falling asleep,
back into my nightmares.
I didn’t want to.
I didn’t want to.
Because, of course,
dreams feel real.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
Have you seen the film Saw?
That’s kind of what it feels
like. You wake up in a place
you don’t know and it feels
like you’re being tortured.
If, on top of that,
there is no one
you know there,
no one you recognise
you are suffering alone with
these people you don’t know.
That’s terrible.
I don’t know if that contributes
to a patient's death or
mortality, but it has major
psychological consequences
and sometimes
impacts our ability to treat
them during their
time in intensive care.
And even in hospital,
a lot of patients who go
upstairs or who are hospitalised
with less severe forms
but who are isolated
from the whole
world with no contact
with their families
sure you can speak on the phone,
that can also
have a major impact
on their desire to fight.
Hi kids. Hi kids.
They can’t hear me! Wait,
we’ll speak again.
Hi kids!
Hello darlings!
It’s Mum.
How are you, darlings?
Adam, how are you? Yes?
What’s he doing?
He’s working.
Hello sweetheart, how are you?
I’ve disturbed them,
poor things.
Mum!
Mum!
Hello sweetheart. Mum can
see you, but you can’t see me.
Are they looking
into the camera?
Yes.
She can see us but
you can’t see her.
See you later, darlings.
Who’s looking after
them right now?
The eldest, my 13-year-old
is looking after them.
I cook the day before,
put it in the
fridge and my daughter
reheats the food
or when my husband has time, he
comes home at
midday to feed them.
They’ve been alone in
the house for two months.
We leave them very
early in the morning and
come back late at night.
We have three cameras.
Do you call them often?
Three times a day:
when I get to work,
at midday and
in the evening
before heading home.
Is it hard not seeing them so
often? Does it weigh on you?
Very much. Very,
very much because
I’m a very possessive mother.
I love to look
after my children.
I am very close to them.
And the fact they see me less,
weighs on them too.
Yesterday my
10-year-old had a bit of a
tantrum, not out of jealously,
but saying:
"Mum, we exist too.
It’s not all about work."
So I want to finish things
here and spend a few
days with them, try to
reconnect. It’s complicated.
Hello!
Goodbye!
Goodbye.
Goodbye!
Thank you for everything!
Let’s hope we
don’t see you again!
Saving lives is the reason we
do our job, despite everything.
When a patient comes
to visit us afterwards,
when they’re back on their feet,
and says:
Doctor, I lived thanks to you,
thanks to the
team, and I’m doing really well,
I’m doing this.
For us, that’s the greatest
encouragement to
keep doing what we do.
It’s a relief.
Yes, I can imagine.
Were you conscious throughout?
Yes. I kept my head even
if I was disoriented at times.
Here we are, number 705,
with a window.
Wonderful. Sold!
Here we are.
But I won’t stay
till Christmas.
Well I hope not, for your sake!
A sink and a toilet,
what luxury!
There you have to use a bedpan.
I must admit, it’s not something
I would recommend to anyone.
Let’s just say it’s
an experience.
What are you thinking when you
move floors? That
you were lucky?
Yes. Because that’s not
the case for everyone.
I spoke to the nursing
staff in intensive care.
In the unit I was
in there were 27
patients. Of those 27,
two were talking
because they were still able to,
the other 25 were intubated.
Of those two, I’ve made it,
I’ve moved up here and
will probably be able to
go home in a few days.
I’ve managed the impossible.
To experience it from
the outside, is one thing.
But when you are directly
impacted, in the flesh,
and all you hear is
the number of cases,
the number of deaths,
and all that.
Wow, and you’re telling yourself
that you’re next in line.
The morning they told
me I was to be intubated
and induced into coma
for a fortnight, wow.
I didn’t get the chance to
say goodbye to my family.
When I came here
to do the test at
the entrance,
we simply said goodbye
and I’ll tell you whatever
depending on the test result.
I didn’t see anybody again.
So if things had gone wrong,
that’s
where it would have been left.
Yes, hello, Maryse Degand,
senior nurse from COVID A.
I’m calling because
I have symptoms.
I have a sore throat,
a cough and I
lost my sense of
taste this morning.
That’s it. I don’t have
much of a temperature.
OK. So I have to go
through admissions.
Yes. OK. Externally then.
OK, fine, thank you.
Right,
I have to do a nasal swab.
Listen, I figured it was bound
to happen at some point.
Hello Mohamed.
How are you?
Fine, and you?
When do you think
you’ll get the results?
In two days.
Do you have any symptoms?
Yes.
Let’s go.
Hang in there,
don’t move your head
back, I know it’s
hard. I know it’s hard.
This gives us the
best chance of success.
Yes, I understand,
I understand.
Eight, nine, ten, that’s it,
I’m removing it now.
Hang in there. Are you OK?
Yes.
I realise it’s not pleasant,
really not.
It’s got to be done right
otherwise there’s no point.
The aim is to…
I know, I know.
That looked hard.
Honestly,
I wasn’t expecting that.
I didn’t expect it
to take so long.
Oh my, we’ve come
out the other side now.
Let's see in two days.
Yes.
You see,
I’m coughing quite a bit.
Sounds bad.
But it’s a loose cough,
a COVID-19 cough is usually dry.
It’s true,
a COVID-19 cough is dry.
Yes.
I have a loose cough
so it can’t be COVID-19.
Look, I’ve just changed
and I’m drenched again.
35°2. It’s just that I
didn’t do it properly,
but I think it’s
because I’m irritated.
I’m sure I’ve got sinusitis.
You’re in total denial.
I’m sorry to have
to leave you like
this, guys,
but I’ll get better soon.
Might be us next.
Yes.
Here you go,
I made them in the last couple
of days. I tried them
on so wash them at 60°.
Yes, I'll do that.
Kisses!
Hang in there.
Take care.
You too.
Meryem. I’m off now, darling.
In any case,
we’ll keep in touch.
Rest up. Kisses.
Yes, kisses.
Oh I’m being silly now.
Anyway.
I’m emotional about leaving.
Of course. I'm being silly.
At first, I was very scared,
coming out of the
COVID-19 units.
I’d say to myself,
I hope I don’t
give it to my husband
or my children.
But I am extremely
cautious. So I tell
myself that I’m
very cautious here.
I’ll probably go to a
supermarket, pick up
a bag of crisps and
get COVID-19 that way.
All in all, I’ve done everything
I can to protect myself.
And that’s it,
it’s fate if anything
happens,
there’s nothing else I can do.
Put your gloves on.
I’ll speak to him first.
Yes.
It’ll be OK.
You want me to
call a psychologist?
Hi, this is Meryem from COVID E.
We have a patient who has
tested positive for COVID-19
and his son has just called
to tell him his wife has died.
Give me your hand.
The news I have to
tell you is not good. OK?
This is not easy. And I
understand your situation.
We’re here and I’m
going to pass your son
over. That way you
can talk to him too. OK?
82 years old. Yes.
Take the telephone,
you can speak in here.
Hello.
He wanted to tell him. He
insisted over the phone. Yes.
Yes.
Listen, that's it.
But I’d like to call
the son first, and see
with him,
and then go see the gentleman.
As soon as possible.
I can’t kiss you,
but I give you a big
hug. OK? I’m holding
you very tight. OK?
Everything OK, Kaouthar?
Your son said she
was really fine. OK?
OK. I’ll be right
back. You alright?
That was really hard.
It was really hard because this
gentleman will never
see his wife again.
And for us it was hard
because we come from different
backgrounds, different cultures,
different religions.
But whatever the religion or
culture, you don’t die alone.
So he almost felt, well,
he said: I've abandoned my wife.
Honestly, it was incredibly
sad. And it’s situations
like these that are problematic
with this COVID-19 thing.
Good evening, it’s Fabio
Taccone from Erasmus Hospital.
I’m calling you back because,
as my colleague
explained earlier today,
the situation is pretty bad.
Despite all the treatments
we’re giving him,
we can see his
condition is getting worse.
None of his organs are
functioning anymore. It’s
not just the lungs,
but the kidneys, the liver
and his blood
pressure is getting
harder and harder to control.
So there is a good
chance that he will die.
So I’m contacting you because,
despite the
hospital being closed,
in such situations, well…
we can of course allow family
members to sit with the patient.
So if you would like to do that,
perhaps
you should come
to the hospital now
because, the way I
see things going, I’m not
sure how long your
husband can hold on for.
You can come with your son,
of course.
OK. See you soon. Goodbye.
Yes, good evening,
it’s Fabio Taccone from ICU.
It will be the
gentleman’s wife and son,
and she asked me to
have the priest come
because I think she
realises the hour is near.
Are they here?
In the small lounge.
Should I join them in there?
Yes, if that’s OK with you?
Sure.
Go ahead.
Good evening.
I’m the doctor on duty
tonight. I know your husband
well because I was here
from the very beginning.
Unfortunately the situation
has become complicated
over the last 48 hours.
As I told you on the phone.
Since getting his infection
at the hospital because
he’s been on a ventilator
for almost a month now.
We’ve been giving him
drugs to keep him alive. But
no matter what we do
he’s gradually getting worse.
That’s why I called you:
his condition is deteriorating
so rapidly that I think
he will die tonight.
When the family comes in
to the hospital and they see
their loved one a month
after they’ve been hospitalised
on the day we announce
they are going to die...
It’s hard, because you mustn’t
only explain what’s going on
you also have to explain in what
state they'll find them in and…
It's a bit of a shock
when you enter the room.
The situation was such
that I didn’t want the
gentleman to die alone,
without his family.
So I asked them to come in now.
Are you going to stick
around a bit longer?
Yes.
Yes? That’s good. So motivated,
I’m happy.
It was one of the most difficult
things to accept
on a human level.
We had a long meeting at
the beginning because some
hospitals, not just in Belgium
but in other countries too,
after coronavirus hit,
they closed them and refused to
allow families to visit even
after the patient had died.
Because, obviously,
whoever lives with someone who
has the coronavirus
will probably also have it,
so they can’t be allowed
into the hospital because
of the risk of them
bringing the virus with them.
And we looked at each
other in the eye and said
to ourselves,
we can’t do that. It’s inhumane.
Plus this is the Free
University of Brussels,
with its open-mindedness
and all that,
we couldn’t allow these patients
to remain alone
in their suffering
and prevent their
families from seeing
their loved ones in
their dying moments.
Do you think we can go in?
I’m here. Would you like
me to come in, is that better?
We don't want you to
stop the breathing aid.
So he can go
naturally. If he has to go.
Because... we believe in life.
You know,
medicine is medicine. And
the end of a life
is the end of a life.
The end of a person’s life
can happen in various ways
and if you'd like it to happen
as naturally as possible
then we’ll try to make
sure it happens as
naturally as possible.
That’s no problem.
We know you did your job
and did everything you could.
Now it is time for the
expression of our faith.
All we ask is for you not
to turn the machines off.
No problem.
Thank you very much.
It’s as if we were
doing this with a Muslim,
you see, who accepts
the fact that it’s time.
I don’t know how it’s going
to work, if I’m not here,
you tell them that the
funeral is in three days.
Right. Any other questions?
No. It’s fine.
Finished, finished,
finished. Bedtime.
Good night!
Are they going to
film you as you sleep?
Yes, with infrared.
Wearing your pyjamas?
No. My gold bathrobe.
Hello?
Hi Maryse, it’s Robin the
cameraman. How are you?
Yes, I’m fine, and you?
I’m calling to get some news.
First, to see if you’ve
had your test results.
Yes, absolutely. The very
same day, that evening,
I got a phone call to
say I was in fact positive.
So it wasn’t sinusitis.
No, not at all,
it was COVID-19.
I feel very tired. I
get myalgia, pain in
my muscles and as
soon as I get up, well…
I’m out of breath,
my heart races. But if it goes
on like this... At the same
time, I’m in good hands.
At worst,
if it should deteriorate,
I know what I have to do.
I’ll take good care of
myself and when I’m myself
again, I’ll have to go
back to get this done
because we’re not finished yet.
We’ve still got some way to go.
My mother always says that as
a child of God, death is a gain.
God gives and God takes
away. We know where Dad is now.
We now have only
two COVID-19 patients
left in this last
intensive care unit
which was the first to open
and will be the last to close.
So these are the
last two patients. One
patient who will be
moving back up this week
and a last one who is
on a ventilator and in a
slightly more serious condition.
But he’s the last one.
So this whole unit,
that is dedicated to treating
COVID-19 patients,
has slowly emptied out
because, thankfully,
the last patients who arrived
here have all gone
up to the recovery floor
after having recovered
from the illness.
Even patients who were so
sick they needed ventilators
we managed to get them off these
machines and move them upstairs.
So even the most
serious cases. We
are seeing the
end of the epidemic.
Some were here
a long time but we
managed to treat all
their complications.
We had a series of
patients who made good and
fast progress. It was very
important for the team.
Because as I was saying,
at the beginning, the first
two weeks were terrible:
no one was doing well.
After a while, we saw these
people gradually improve.
So… let me show
you a video I was
sent that really made me laugh.
Franco, watch out, you’re being
filmed. I’m immortalising
the moment.
You want us to
applaud you? First
steps! That’s great, Franco.
Wonderful! I watched it
and it really makes me laugh.
It’s the music from Rocky.
Wonderful! That to
the virus! Wonderful.
Ah yeah, it’s wonderful.
I saw that video, it was
emotional but funny too,
because he was returning home.
Over two and a half,
three weeks, he went from ICU to
hospital, to another hospital,
then rehab and home.
Incredible.
It's in these moments
that you tell yourself
that, on balance,
we don’t do such a bad job.
Girls, have you got
a minute for a photo?
To mark the closing
of the department.
I had to lead a
team I didn't know.
I had to provide care, I
hadn't provided in twelve years.
I had to look for
new structures.
That made me rediscover
a potential, I had forgotten.
Come, Christelle,
let’s take a photo to
mark the last day of
the Covid E department.
The nurses diagnose, they
know which treatment to give,
they know why and they know how.
Being a nurse is more then
a vocation, it's a profession.
I can't stress that enough.
Because a lot of
people still believe
we voluntarilly
sacrifice ourselves.
But no, it's our job.
Stand over there,
against the light.
You’ve got to
squeeze in. Squeeze in!
Is anyone still here?
Ready? Say cheese.
Say Covid E goodbye.
I’m going to miss you all.
Are you still looking forward to
returning to your normal duties?
Off course.
I think we are all looking
foreward to going
back to normal.
cases of COVID-19
in Belgium: 1,384
new cases today.
A total of 15,348
infections have
been confirmed
throughout the country.
Of the 1,384 new patients,
912 are
in Flanders, 137 in Brussels...
This cat's not taking the
lockdown very seriously!
Come on. Lockdown for everyone.
Ready?
Ready.
183 recorded deaths
in the last 24 hours. The
threshold of 1000 deaths
has now been reached.
I should leave my mask
on. You never know.
I should take my cap off.
Yeah.
I'm not taking my
top off. No way!
10 centimetres to your right,
Fabio.
To my right?
5 centimetres to your left.
Careful, because in Italy
this is 20 centimetres!
People are required to
stay at home and avoid
contact with anyone
other than close family.
[ERASMUS HOSPITAL,
BRUSSELS 7 DAYS INTO LOCKDOWN]
Are you OK, sir?
Are you OK?
Yes, I'm fine.
We’re waiting for a porter
to come and get you now.
Will I be put in isolation?
Yes,
you're in the COVID-19 unit.
Can my family visit me?
No. Visits aren’t allowed.
None?
No visits.
The patients we see coming in
here have difficulty breathing
they feel like they're
drowning in their own phlegm
they shiver constantly,
they hurt all over,
and their lungs feel
like they’re burning.
And we don't know
how to relieve them
we give them treatments but
we're still not sure they work.
Hello sir, how are you?
I'm OK.
Could be better.
This is a specialised
unit so you’re
not allowed to leave the room.
You can take your mask
off when no one’s around, but
you must wear it if a nurse
comes in to treat you. OK?
Tomorrow,
we’ll explain your test results,
to get you home
as soon as possible.
That’s what everybody wants.
That’s what everybody wants.
Yes.
Good night. Hang in there.
Thank you.
You’re welcome.
It’s up to you. You can
wait here or ring the bell…
I don’t know if
she’ll come out right
away. It depends
on what they say.
That’s fine. She has her
phone in case she rings.
Right.
Thank you very much!
You’re welcome.
Patients aren’t
allowed any visitors,
they’re only allowed
to phone their families.
So they feel very alone.
And when we enter the room,
we’re not family, we’re nurses
so that’s one barrier,
and then all
the gear creates
a second barrier.
So she says to me…
What did she say?
She wakes up
and says to me: "It’ll
never work with
that big butt of yours".
Normally, we’d wear
it front-ways with some
tape, but we’re actually
well protected here so…
Don’t you have any
normal gowns left?
No. Because prices have
shot up around the world.
The price of gowns?
The price of gowns.
So we have to make
do with these for now.
We ordered some
but they never arrived.
We don’t know where they
are. At least we’re protected.
At least we’re protected,
well yeah.
We wear uncomfortable
face shields, a so-called
mask, a cotton gown,
and we tape up our wrists.
So we get very hot
when treating patients.
But what worries
me the most is the
contact we have
with the patients.
Patients see us arrive wearing a
gown, gloves and a face shield.
It must be traumatising
for them too.
As carers we have
to protect ourselves.
But patients who are
sick in bed and weak
see nurses arrive wearing these
space suits. It’s
tough for them too.
How are you?
I’m feeling a bit better.
You're feeling a bit better?
Be brave. You’re
doing really well.
Camille,
can you get me a sheet and
two bed pads? Let’s
change everything.
A sheet and two bed pads?
Yes.
Madame, your gown.
There you go. Is that OK?
Breakfast is on its way.
Now I’ve lost the end. It’s
all a bit complicated, isn’t it!
I don’t look like a nurse,
I look like a butcher.
A fat butcher.
Wow, I can’t breathe
under all of this.
We used to have
much thicker aprons
but now that we’ve run
out of gear, we have to
wear this which is very
thin and tears very easily
so to protect ourselves we
wear these butcher’s aprons too.
This is Europe after all.
We live in a country with
highly sophisticated and
world-renowned hospitals.
Yet here we are
without any equipment.
As health care workers
we didn’t feel safe. They’d
already squeezed the health
system but this is too much
because they squeezed the system
without providing any backup.
So, not only are we
left to face a huge
health crisis without
any equipment
the government has no
idea how to run anything.
Let’s find something. Ah,
that’s a good one.
The job of a coronavirus
ICU consultant
is actually quite monothematic.
At first it was: “how can we
oxygenate this patient’s blood?"
because, as you know, our bodies
can’t survive without oxygen.
And the whole world
was saying that it’s
a lung disease,
it affects the lungs.
In the most severe cases,
the patient is put
to sleep, a tube is
inserted into the airways
and the machine – the
artificial respirator as we call
it – forces air and oxygen
into the patient’s lungs.
Are they here?
We think he still has a good
chance and that we should
try this because we’re not
sure he’ll make it otherwise.
So, really, hang in there. Yes.
Here, Fabio.
Yes?
Is my ear covered?
Yes.
It’s very thin.
Yes, I know but with gloves
on you can’t feel anything.
It looks good, really DIY.
What did you say?
It looks a bit DIY.
Let me take my gloves
off. It’s like a sauna!
We’ll give him a cannula,
like a femoral ECMO,
into the left subclavian
rather than the jugular
that way it’ll go in straight,
in the vessel’s
direction, without the
curvature you have in the...
The idea is to have the least
pressure possible to avoid...
14, you see. It’s only just
functioning with the machine.
Ready, Zoé?
Yes.
We’ll have to check if the
machine is OK for here.
Wait another 5 minutes.
Seriously,
the French are always so slow.
Quick, I need gauze, please.
As soon as we’ve
inserted the cannula,
we’ll administer
a heparin bolus.
All OK?
After a while we noticed
that some of these patients
were developing
complications in other organs.
It’s a disease that can
affect the entire body.
Jérôme! Operating
theatre in half an hour.
OK.
Operating theatre
in half an hour.
And we can stop the heparin now.
OK. I’d like a stretcher though.
We’ve gone to get one already
and some oxygen for the ECHO.
If the machine were
to play up now, he’d die
instantly. Nothing
enters the thorax, nothing.
Do we have to go get the bed?
No, they’ll bring it.
They’ve put a tiny bit…
Ask the anaesthetist
to bring the table.
The anaesthetist is here.
Because there’s no lung left,
and he has a PAO2 ratio of 67.
There’s nothing in his lungs,
nothing.
The second week was a
nightmare because none of our
patients were doing well,
no one was getting better.
We had the impression that
more and more patients were
arriving, all with the same
thing. No one was doing well.
As a doctor, this
inability to find solutions to
these patients’ medical
problems was very hard.
There’s a problem in terms
of the pressure. What’s
going on? The pressure,
where’s the pressure?
I’ve cut it,
it’s done. I’m ready.
What was really unusual
was seeing so many
seriously ill people
all with the same virus
arrive at the hospital
all at once and
within a very short
period of time.
Meryem.
Yes. Oh! How are you?
I don’t know if you’ve heard but
we’re going to be
neighbours again.
That’s what I heard.
Unfortunately, you’re the
last team that’s still open…
Exactly.
And cores were created.
Absolutely, you’ve got it.
So it’s true that
it would be good...
All the technical
nurses were sent here.
Yes. You know, boosted with
3 weeks’ worth of experience.
That’s it, exactly.
Hey,
it’s not much but it’s a start!
We had to open special
COVID-19 units in a hurry.
We opened the first
COVID-19 unit on the 7th floor.
Then a second
COVID-19 unit was opened.
Then, with the influx
of patients and an
increase in the number
of recorded cases
we had to deal with
an influx of ER patients
so we opened a third COVID-19
unit and finally a fourth one.
It’s very tricky because things
can change from hour to hour.
We’re doing the move
today. Basically, we’ll be
moving the unit as it is
down to the fourth floor.
So we’re moving towards
something more positive:
the rehabilitation of
patients coming out of ICU.
There probably won’t
be tons of them, we’re
expecting that,
but there will be some.
Maybe this will just help
send a message of hope that
we’ll be helping these
people recover rather than die.
So I think it’s a great project.
Let Maggie De Block release the
money. Give us
some money for this.
Shame on her! I am angry,
we are angry!
It’s shameful! Shameful! Where
are the millions
they promised us?
Where is the
equipment? Where is it?
No, I’m angry!
OK, so you’re angry,
but think of the patients, OK?
Yes.
Well yes. We can
talk but… Express
yourself by all means,
but… Anyway.
Careful, careful.
So here,
these patients are end-of-life,
end-of-life, and end-of-life.
Three end-of-life patients.
Three-end-of-life patients,
here, here and there.
Good morning.
It’s fine, I can get through.
All good?
Yes. Thank you.
What floor?
Four.
Who are you taking?
[inaudible name]
Yes.
And where’s he going?
I don’t know.
It’s a race.
Well, there’s work to be done.
You have to be coordinated,
organised, combine
forces, but I don’t
see myself as a soldier.
It’s completely different.
Soldiers go to war
and kill people,
we’re here to look after them.
You don’t have to be a
soldier to be organised.
So you’re not at
war like Macron?
Not at all. No, not at all.
Sure,
we’re experiencing a health
crisis, but we’re not at war.
This has to stop. Got to see
things for what they really are.
"We are at war",
it’s ridiculous.
We’re inside. There we go.
Can you see?
Yes.
The thing she has on her
head measures her state of
consciousness. They’re
just stickers, it’s nothing.
The catheter in her
nose is to feed her,
and the tube in her
mouth helps her breathe.
She seems tired.
She has lines. Her
face is really… she seems tired.
She’s spent several
days lying face-down
which leaves marks on the face.
All that is normal,
well… normal.
Yes, yes.
OK.
It looks like she’s
been working hard.
She kind of has been.
She’s fighting a huge
battle, so it’s not
surprising she looks tired.
We’re going to leave
her on her back today.
We lay her on her
front to help the
lungs but we don’t
need to do that now.
So things are a bit better.
I can’t say we’re out of
the woods yet, but we’re
slightly more optimistic.
Let me show you the
photos we’ve put up.
Look.
Ah that’s good, there’s one
of everybody, that’s great.
We put everything
we were sent up.
Oh that’s good. Honestly,
thank you so very much.
That will make her happy
when she wakes up again.
Yes, absolutely.
Honestly, thank you
so much for everything.
We’re doing all we can,
you know that.
I know, I know, we can
see that. We can see that.
I didn’t realise how generous
human beings could be.
To have such
empathy and kindness,
but also… from a professional.
I imagine it’s very hard
for them too. They know
full well that at that moment
they are the only link.
So they have to look
strong to help us keep going.
We washed a patient’s
body after they’d died and…
we had to close this
horrible white body bag.
That’s when you realise
the patient has been
here alone, has died alone,
will be buried alone
and we’ve just
closed a plastic bag.
That’s really hard.
To be honest it’s…
Anyway!
People who are convinced
this coronavirus is not fatal
say: "yes, but the patient
died of something else".
But, thankfully, diabetics don’t
die from one day to the next.
People with high blood pressure
don’t die from one
day to the next.
30 to 40 % of the patients
we have in intensive
care, for flu too,
have other illnesses.
You might suffer
from a chronic illness,
but it won’t kill you overnight.
So I really don’t understand
why people try to downplay
an illness that has completely
changed the way we live.
Not just for doctors
but the population as a
whole. No other illness
would have done that.
What are we being called out on?
COVID-19.
COVID-19?
Yes. Deterioration
of a COVID-19 patient
on the 4th floor,
Peterbos. Peterbos?
We are heading to Peterbos,
can you
confirm the building number,
please?
Number five,
building number five.
OK, roger.
It’s this one. This one.
OK, fine.
Now, take the first right.
I think it’s here.
It’s here, right?
Oxygen, guys.
Yes, I got it.
Hi, what floor?
11th floor.
11th?
11th, first door on the right.
Is it the 14th?
No, there is no 14th,
it’s labelled 11, I think.
Anyway, there are only 5 doors.
Yes? Yes?
Did you call for an ambulance?
No.
OK, fine.
This is the 11th floor.
Where?
Here, right here.
Ah there we go.
The doctor will go in with
the nurse. We’ll wait outside.
Is he alone at home?
Is he in lockdown alone?
Yes.
How long for?
Ever since he got
back from the hospital.
How many days?
Must be a week by now.
A week.
Did they test him here?
Yes, they told him he was
positive and to stay home.
He can’t stay home like this.
It’s not ideal.
It’s impossible.
As soon as he doesn’t feel well,
he
needs to be cared
for and treated.
But if they’re overwhelmed
at the hospital, is it
worth putting him in an
ambulance that has had COVID-19
or going if they won’t
have time to look after
him? The doctor’s
calling the hospital to see.
That’s it.
Are we going to the hospital?
We’re going to the hospital.
I was here two weeks
ago with a Critical
Care Ambulance
for something else
and there were loads
of people in the park.
I said: We’ll be back to collect
COVID-19 patients.
And here we are.
1, 2, 3, that’s it.
Lift.
Saturation level is 92,
plus a good curve.
Let’s add some.
How much oxygen do you want?
Two litres.
Aurélie, 2 litres of oxygen.
It’s not disastrous but...
We won’t be able to
visit him or anything?
If Bracob is like our hospital,
then no. Normally, no.
You’ll just have to see
over the next few days.
I don’t want to give you any
false reassurances or alarm
you unnecessarily so,
you’ll see in the next few days.
But have you already
seen cases like my father’s?
Ah, a lot people who like him…
Who later don’t need
oxygen anymore?
Yes,
they get back to normal. But
some cases can be
more complicated.
There are risk factors,
things like that but... anyway.
It's OK, so...
In any case, thank you.
Hang in there. Goodbye.
Do you like this?
Yes, I do!
You don’t mind it?
No, on the contrary.
Heading back to base now.
We were in Peterbos two weeks
ago in a Critical Care Ambulance
there were loads of people,
it felt
more like a holiday
than a lockdown.
But if you see it from
the point of view of people
who’ve been in lockdown
24/7 for over a month
who have no balcony,
no garden and no
other way of getting
5 minutes of fresh air
well, yes, I do understand
why they’re outside.
But if you look at
what’s going on, they
must realise that
people are sadly dying.
Yes, but it’s not the same,
you and me realise
that because we’re here,
we see them die every day.
When we’re on call we
think: we can’t save them,
they can’t be brought
back because it’s too late.
The average person
with no means, who
lives in a
40-square-metre apartment
with 3 or 4 kids,
they can’t get outside.
They have no choice
but to go to the park to let
their kids breathe a bit,
so it’s complicated.
Yes,
but that’s what we’re saying.
Our government has
no credibility in terms
of the general
population of this country.
All they care about
is the well-being of
a small minority,
and that’s the problem.
Yesterday,
I went to drop the baby off
at Saint-Pierre,
what was happening?
There we were,
the cops were there but
everybody was crowded
onto the pavements.
200 people crammed onto the
pavements, but what can you do?
We’ve just come from
Saint-Pierre, same thing.
There we go. No one wearing
a mask or any protection
loads of people around,
everybody there together and… If
one person is sick, they
will infect another 200 people.
And of those 200 people,
I doubt any have gained
immunity so that means
even more transmissions.
And these people won’t have
symptoms for another two weeks.
Yes, the numbers look
good now but later on…
Maybe even longer.
Yeah, they'll go out
and infect other people.
That’s what’s difficult
for people to understand:
that today’s actions have
consequences for later.
Well, yes.
Have you had
to tell friends off?
Oh yes, every day.
And family members, too.
Because they just don’t realise.
They phone us,
they encourage us, the general
public encourages us by
clapping for us every day
it’s all very well
but it’s annoying.
"I really felt the humanity
that you put into your work
despite the fatigue and
the stress of this pandemic.
So I will clap for you tonight,
and every other night."
There. That was a short
message I received and
wanted to pass on to you
because it’s important too.
I’d never stop anyone
from clapping, it’s really nice,
it’s great, plus it gives the
district a great atmosphere.
My children love it
because they clap for Mum.
But I’m no hero. Well…
I do my job,
I try to do my job well,
but that doesn’t make us heroes.
Basically, why now?
Why now and not before?
We’ve always cared for people.
I’ve cared for lots of
couples who couldn’t
have children,
but later went on to have them.
My colleagues have
cared for grandmothers,
grandfathers, fathers, sons,
children and… why now?
Because we’re caring for
exactly the same people,
except they have a virus that
came from God knows where.
But otherwise we’ve
always worked like this.
And now it’s: "oh yeah,
nurses exist".
Camilla? Can you go see the lady
and check that the
Babyphone works?
Camilla, can you hear me?
No.
Hello.
No.
Oh yes, here. Hello.
Can you hear me now?
Yes.
There we go.
Can you hear me?
I can hear you loud and clear.
One-two-one-two. Bitata hulwa.
Yeah, great. We can
hear you really well.
We can hear really well.
Bitata hulwa,
what does that mean?
You shouldn’t know that. No,
it’s
nothing mean. It
means sweet potato.
Camilla,
the cameraman just asked
[me:] what does Bitata hulwa mean?
Sweet potato, sugary potato.
Who is sweet potato,
you or Meryem?
Both of us. We’re a couple
of giant sweet potatoes.
She’s unbelievable! So it works.
Camilla? Oh no... Madame?
Yes?
Are you doing OK?
Sorry? Are you doing OK?
Yes.
Isn’t this walkie-talkie great?
See you later then.
Erasmus Hospital really is quite
multicultural,
quite cosmopolitan.
I’m of Moroccan heritage,
I speak some Moroccan.
My colleague is Congolese,
she speaks some Lingala.
I have an Italian colleague,
we try to speak to her
in Italian. This mix of
cultures is very rewarding.
Whether it’s nurses,
doctors, or the technical
team, Erasmus Hospital
employees all mix together.
Do you want to
double-bag it or are you OK?
Can you find me one?
Yes, I’ll find you some.
Otherwise here. Hold on,
let me put some gloves on.
Put it down.
Will you help me
carry the second of
these two yellow bags
down? Thanks Agathe.
Put it down here. I
have four trolleys.
Isn’t this room dangerous?
Yes, like this it is.
Aren’t you afraid?
I have no choice. You see,
I have no choice.
What do you mean
you have no choice?
Why don’t I have a choice? I
have no choice. I have to work.
Hello Mohamed, how are you?
Yes.
All fine?
Right, I’m going to eat.
You want to join me?
Sure.
Let’s see what we have left.
Since COVID-19 started
the hospital has been
giving us food. So
we eat fish every day.
Ev-er-y-day!
I don’t eat meat, you see. I’m
kind of vegetarian
but I eat fish.
Well,
we eat fish every day. I like
it but... it’s not
Mama’s couscous.
Madame, no, no, no,
no. Back we go, come on.
Let’s get back to
your room. Come on.
Let’s get you some tea.
What do you say to that?
Come on. Sit down. Let me
bring you some tea, alright?
No sugar, perfect!
Can you put your gloves on?
Would you mind giving it to her?
Thank you Fara.
It’s for the lady
who’s right next door. Perfect.
Is there any cutlery for
me? Looks like we've run out.
Haven’t you eaten yet?
I’ve not had time.
Oh, oh,
oh. Look who’s here. Bernadette.
Did you drink your tea? Was it
good? Or was there
not enough sugar?
There,
back to your room. Well done.
No, we just want you
to wait in your room for a
short while, until all
your results come back.
And then we’ll tell you
when you can go home.
Are you alright?
Where are you going?
I’ll stand by the door
so she doesn’t escape.
My colleague will give
her some drops to calm her
down. That’ll give me
time to get dressed at least.
Thank you.
I’ll come with you.
You’re in bed, great!
We just want to
check that everything's
OK before sending you home.
There we go. Let’s
warm it up again.
I’ve ended up eating alone.
You see, I’m going to eat alone.
Everybody else
has already eaten.
So,
it’s fish for the tenth time.
She wanted to escape.
What?
Through the window.
Who found her?
Her neighbour rang.
Oh boy, lucky she’s all
there. Who found her?
Her neighbour.
Both legs?
It’s lucky her neighbour
was… otherwise…
They wanted to isolate her, but
let’s leave the
neighbour with her.
COVID-19 began, we’re all in a
health crisis, we all know that
there was a beginning
but there's no end in sight.
You might be determined,
you might be here, you might
try to cope, but at some point,
the teams will get tired
stress is exhausting,
the fact that
we’re always in the
hospital is not easy.
That’s really it, it’s the
uncertainty that
weighs on us all.
We don’t know where
we’re headed and that’s hard.
The work we do involves patients
dying but most do pull through.
So we’re more used to winning.
The difficulty here is that
there are a lot of defeats
and failures, in that we’re
not seeing patients improve.
And that’s very
frustrating for the team.
No stress.
Trust us. You are not alone,
even if your family
is far. There are a lot
of us around you here.
We’re not always
in the room with
you but we’re just
behind that door.
Squeeze my hand if you
understand. Squeeze my hand.
He’s not squeezing my
hand. He’s not doing it.
He did it earlier.
Squeeze. Ah,
there. Ah! That’s it. That’s it.
22 days.
-22 days on the ventilator.
-Yes.
How long since he last
saw her? Since he got here?
29th March.
That’ll be a wonderful moment.
Sure.
His wife doesn’t know
he’s been extubated?
She kind of asked
me… I had to say yes.
OK, she knows. So
it won’t be a surprise.
No, I wanted to… but anyway.
That’s fine.
I couldn’t lie to
her and say no.
I understand.
My colleague Sabina.
Don’t worry,
she looks a bit scary!
She’s courageous.
She’s entering the room.
Mr [xxxx].
No panic.
She can see you, wave to her.
We’ve just taken his tube out.
She says that her and the kids
think about him all the time.
Her and your children think
about you all the time, OK?
Alright?
While I was in the coma,
I had a lot of nightmares.
Always about death.
Everybody around me was
dead. People I didn’t know.
I was the only one fighting.
I can see myself
fighting. Always.
Death, death and me fighting.
In different contexts
and different places.
Once in a cold
country. Another time in
Spain. But I was
always fighting death.
And I was always
surrounded by lots of
dead people. Lots of
people who had died.
I was afraid to fall
asleep. Afraid of
falling asleep,
back into my nightmares.
I didn’t want to.
I didn’t want to.
Because, of course,
dreams feel real.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
Have you seen the film Saw?
That’s kind of what it feels
like. You wake up in a place
you don’t know and it feels
like you’re being tortured.
If, on top of that,
there is no one
you know there,
no one you recognise
you are suffering alone with
these people you don’t know.
That’s terrible.
I don’t know if that contributes
to a patient's death or
mortality, but it has major
psychological consequences
and sometimes
impacts our ability to treat
them during their
time in intensive care.
And even in hospital,
a lot of patients who go
upstairs or who are hospitalised
with less severe forms
but who are isolated
from the whole
world with no contact
with their families
sure you can speak on the phone,
that can also
have a major impact
on their desire to fight.
Hi kids. Hi kids.
They can’t hear me! Wait,
we’ll speak again.
Hi kids!
Hello darlings!
It’s Mum.
How are you, darlings?
Adam, how are you? Yes?
What’s he doing?
He’s working.
Hello sweetheart, how are you?
I’ve disturbed them,
poor things.
Mum!
Mum!
Hello sweetheart. Mum can
see you, but you can’t see me.
Are they looking
into the camera?
Yes.
She can see us but
you can’t see her.
See you later, darlings.
Who’s looking after
them right now?
The eldest, my 13-year-old
is looking after them.
I cook the day before,
put it in the
fridge and my daughter
reheats the food
or when my husband has time, he
comes home at
midday to feed them.
They’ve been alone in
the house for two months.
We leave them very
early in the morning and
come back late at night.
We have three cameras.
Do you call them often?
Three times a day:
when I get to work,
at midday and
in the evening
before heading home.
Is it hard not seeing them so
often? Does it weigh on you?
Very much. Very,
very much because
I’m a very possessive mother.
I love to look
after my children.
I am very close to them.
And the fact they see me less,
weighs on them too.
Yesterday my
10-year-old had a bit of a
tantrum, not out of jealously,
but saying:
"Mum, we exist too.
It’s not all about work."
So I want to finish things
here and spend a few
days with them, try to
reconnect. It’s complicated.
Hello!
Goodbye!
Goodbye.
Goodbye!
Thank you for everything!
Let’s hope we
don’t see you again!
Saving lives is the reason we
do our job, despite everything.
When a patient comes
to visit us afterwards,
when they’re back on their feet,
and says:
Doctor, I lived thanks to you,
thanks to the
team, and I’m doing really well,
I’m doing this.
For us, that’s the greatest
encouragement to
keep doing what we do.
It’s a relief.
Yes, I can imagine.
Were you conscious throughout?
Yes. I kept my head even
if I was disoriented at times.
Here we are, number 705,
with a window.
Wonderful. Sold!
Here we are.
But I won’t stay
till Christmas.
Well I hope not, for your sake!
A sink and a toilet,
what luxury!
There you have to use a bedpan.
I must admit, it’s not something
I would recommend to anyone.
Let’s just say it’s
an experience.
What are you thinking when you
move floors? That
you were lucky?
Yes. Because that’s not
the case for everyone.
I spoke to the nursing
staff in intensive care.
In the unit I was
in there were 27
patients. Of those 27,
two were talking
because they were still able to,
the other 25 were intubated.
Of those two, I’ve made it,
I’ve moved up here and
will probably be able to
go home in a few days.
I’ve managed the impossible.
To experience it from
the outside, is one thing.
But when you are directly
impacted, in the flesh,
and all you hear is
the number of cases,
the number of deaths,
and all that.
Wow, and you’re telling yourself
that you’re next in line.
The morning they told
me I was to be intubated
and induced into coma
for a fortnight, wow.
I didn’t get the chance to
say goodbye to my family.
When I came here
to do the test at
the entrance,
we simply said goodbye
and I’ll tell you whatever
depending on the test result.
I didn’t see anybody again.
So if things had gone wrong,
that’s
where it would have been left.
Yes, hello, Maryse Degand,
senior nurse from COVID A.
I’m calling because
I have symptoms.
I have a sore throat,
a cough and I
lost my sense of
taste this morning.
That’s it. I don’t have
much of a temperature.
OK. So I have to go
through admissions.
Yes. OK. Externally then.
OK, fine, thank you.
Right,
I have to do a nasal swab.
Listen, I figured it was bound
to happen at some point.
Hello Mohamed.
How are you?
Fine, and you?
When do you think
you’ll get the results?
In two days.
Do you have any symptoms?
Yes.
Let’s go.
Hang in there,
don’t move your head
back, I know it’s
hard. I know it’s hard.
This gives us the
best chance of success.
Yes, I understand,
I understand.
Eight, nine, ten, that’s it,
I’m removing it now.
Hang in there. Are you OK?
Yes.
I realise it’s not pleasant,
really not.
It’s got to be done right
otherwise there’s no point.
The aim is to…
I know, I know.
That looked hard.
Honestly,
I wasn’t expecting that.
I didn’t expect it
to take so long.
Oh my, we’ve come
out the other side now.
Let's see in two days.
Yes.
You see,
I’m coughing quite a bit.
Sounds bad.
But it’s a loose cough,
a COVID-19 cough is usually dry.
It’s true,
a COVID-19 cough is dry.
Yes.
I have a loose cough
so it can’t be COVID-19.
Look, I’ve just changed
and I’m drenched again.
35°2. It’s just that I
didn’t do it properly,
but I think it’s
because I’m irritated.
I’m sure I’ve got sinusitis.
You’re in total denial.
I’m sorry to have
to leave you like
this, guys,
but I’ll get better soon.
Might be us next.
Yes.
Here you go,
I made them in the last couple
of days. I tried them
on so wash them at 60°.
Yes, I'll do that.
Kisses!
Hang in there.
Take care.
You too.
Meryem. I’m off now, darling.
In any case,
we’ll keep in touch.
Rest up. Kisses.
Yes, kisses.
Oh I’m being silly now.
Anyway.
I’m emotional about leaving.
Of course. I'm being silly.
At first, I was very scared,
coming out of the
COVID-19 units.
I’d say to myself,
I hope I don’t
give it to my husband
or my children.
But I am extremely
cautious. So I tell
myself that I’m
very cautious here.
I’ll probably go to a
supermarket, pick up
a bag of crisps and
get COVID-19 that way.
All in all, I’ve done everything
I can to protect myself.
And that’s it,
it’s fate if anything
happens,
there’s nothing else I can do.
Put your gloves on.
I’ll speak to him first.
Yes.
It’ll be OK.
You want me to
call a psychologist?
Hi, this is Meryem from COVID E.
We have a patient who has
tested positive for COVID-19
and his son has just called
to tell him his wife has died.
Give me your hand.
The news I have to
tell you is not good. OK?
This is not easy. And I
understand your situation.
We’re here and I’m
going to pass your son
over. That way you
can talk to him too. OK?
82 years old. Yes.
Take the telephone,
you can speak in here.
Hello.
He wanted to tell him. He
insisted over the phone. Yes.
Yes.
Listen, that's it.
But I’d like to call
the son first, and see
with him,
and then go see the gentleman.
As soon as possible.
I can’t kiss you,
but I give you a big
hug. OK? I’m holding
you very tight. OK?
Everything OK, Kaouthar?
Your son said she
was really fine. OK?
OK. I’ll be right
back. You alright?
That was really hard.
It was really hard because this
gentleman will never
see his wife again.
And for us it was hard
because we come from different
backgrounds, different cultures,
different religions.
But whatever the religion or
culture, you don’t die alone.
So he almost felt, well,
he said: I've abandoned my wife.
Honestly, it was incredibly
sad. And it’s situations
like these that are problematic
with this COVID-19 thing.
Good evening, it’s Fabio
Taccone from Erasmus Hospital.
I’m calling you back because,
as my colleague
explained earlier today,
the situation is pretty bad.
Despite all the treatments
we’re giving him,
we can see his
condition is getting worse.
None of his organs are
functioning anymore. It’s
not just the lungs,
but the kidneys, the liver
and his blood
pressure is getting
harder and harder to control.
So there is a good
chance that he will die.
So I’m contacting you because,
despite the
hospital being closed,
in such situations, well…
we can of course allow family
members to sit with the patient.
So if you would like to do that,
perhaps
you should come
to the hospital now
because, the way I
see things going, I’m not
sure how long your
husband can hold on for.
You can come with your son,
of course.
OK. See you soon. Goodbye.
Yes, good evening,
it’s Fabio Taccone from ICU.
It will be the
gentleman’s wife and son,
and she asked me to
have the priest come
because I think she
realises the hour is near.
Are they here?
In the small lounge.
Should I join them in there?
Yes, if that’s OK with you?
Sure.
Go ahead.
Good evening.
I’m the doctor on duty
tonight. I know your husband
well because I was here
from the very beginning.
Unfortunately the situation
has become complicated
over the last 48 hours.
As I told you on the phone.
Since getting his infection
at the hospital because
he’s been on a ventilator
for almost a month now.
We’ve been giving him
drugs to keep him alive. But
no matter what we do
he’s gradually getting worse.
That’s why I called you:
his condition is deteriorating
so rapidly that I think
he will die tonight.
When the family comes in
to the hospital and they see
their loved one a month
after they’ve been hospitalised
on the day we announce
they are going to die...
It’s hard, because you mustn’t
only explain what’s going on
you also have to explain in what
state they'll find them in and…
It's a bit of a shock
when you enter the room.
The situation was such
that I didn’t want the
gentleman to die alone,
without his family.
So I asked them to come in now.
Are you going to stick
around a bit longer?
Yes.
Yes? That’s good. So motivated,
I’m happy.
It was one of the most difficult
things to accept
on a human level.
We had a long meeting at
the beginning because some
hospitals, not just in Belgium
but in other countries too,
after coronavirus hit,
they closed them and refused to
allow families to visit even
after the patient had died.
Because, obviously,
whoever lives with someone who
has the coronavirus
will probably also have it,
so they can’t be allowed
into the hospital because
of the risk of them
bringing the virus with them.
And we looked at each
other in the eye and said
to ourselves,
we can’t do that. It’s inhumane.
Plus this is the Free
University of Brussels,
with its open-mindedness
and all that,
we couldn’t allow these patients
to remain alone
in their suffering
and prevent their
families from seeing
their loved ones in
their dying moments.
Do you think we can go in?
I’m here. Would you like
me to come in, is that better?
We don't want you to
stop the breathing aid.
So he can go
naturally. If he has to go.
Because... we believe in life.
You know,
medicine is medicine. And
the end of a life
is the end of a life.
The end of a person’s life
can happen in various ways
and if you'd like it to happen
as naturally as possible
then we’ll try to make
sure it happens as
naturally as possible.
That’s no problem.
We know you did your job
and did everything you could.
Now it is time for the
expression of our faith.
All we ask is for you not
to turn the machines off.
No problem.
Thank you very much.
It’s as if we were
doing this with a Muslim,
you see, who accepts
the fact that it’s time.
I don’t know how it’s going
to work, if I’m not here,
you tell them that the
funeral is in three days.
Right. Any other questions?
No. It’s fine.
Finished, finished,
finished. Bedtime.
Good night!
Are they going to
film you as you sleep?
Yes, with infrared.
Wearing your pyjamas?
No. My gold bathrobe.
Hello?
Hi Maryse, it’s Robin the
cameraman. How are you?
Yes, I’m fine, and you?
I’m calling to get some news.
First, to see if you’ve
had your test results.
Yes, absolutely. The very
same day, that evening,
I got a phone call to
say I was in fact positive.
So it wasn’t sinusitis.
No, not at all,
it was COVID-19.
I feel very tired. I
get myalgia, pain in
my muscles and as
soon as I get up, well…
I’m out of breath,
my heart races. But if it goes
on like this... At the same
time, I’m in good hands.
At worst,
if it should deteriorate,
I know what I have to do.
I’ll take good care of
myself and when I’m myself
again, I’ll have to go
back to get this done
because we’re not finished yet.
We’ve still got some way to go.
My mother always says that as
a child of God, death is a gain.
God gives and God takes
away. We know where Dad is now.
We now have only
two COVID-19 patients
left in this last
intensive care unit
which was the first to open
and will be the last to close.
So these are the
last two patients. One
patient who will be
moving back up this week
and a last one who is
on a ventilator and in a
slightly more serious condition.
But he’s the last one.
So this whole unit,
that is dedicated to treating
COVID-19 patients,
has slowly emptied out
because, thankfully,
the last patients who arrived
here have all gone
up to the recovery floor
after having recovered
from the illness.
Even patients who were so
sick they needed ventilators
we managed to get them off these
machines and move them upstairs.
So even the most
serious cases. We
are seeing the
end of the epidemic.
Some were here
a long time but we
managed to treat all
their complications.
We had a series of
patients who made good and
fast progress. It was very
important for the team.
Because as I was saying,
at the beginning, the first
two weeks were terrible:
no one was doing well.
After a while, we saw these
people gradually improve.
So… let me show
you a video I was
sent that really made me laugh.
Franco, watch out, you’re being
filmed. I’m immortalising
the moment.
You want us to
applaud you? First
steps! That’s great, Franco.
Wonderful! I watched it
and it really makes me laugh.
It’s the music from Rocky.
Wonderful! That to
the virus! Wonderful.
Ah yeah, it’s wonderful.
I saw that video, it was
emotional but funny too,
because he was returning home.
Over two and a half,
three weeks, he went from ICU to
hospital, to another hospital,
then rehab and home.
Incredible.
It's in these moments
that you tell yourself
that, on balance,
we don’t do such a bad job.
Girls, have you got
a minute for a photo?
To mark the closing
of the department.
I had to lead a
team I didn't know.
I had to provide care, I
hadn't provided in twelve years.
I had to look for
new structures.
That made me rediscover
a potential, I had forgotten.
Come, Christelle,
let’s take a photo to
mark the last day of
the Covid E department.
The nurses diagnose, they
know which treatment to give,
they know why and they know how.
Being a nurse is more then
a vocation, it's a profession.
I can't stress that enough.
Because a lot of
people still believe
we voluntarilly
sacrifice ourselves.
But no, it's our job.
Stand over there,
against the light.
You’ve got to
squeeze in. Squeeze in!
Is anyone still here?
Ready? Say cheese.
Say Covid E goodbye.
I’m going to miss you all.
Are you still looking forward to
returning to your normal duties?
Off course.
I think we are all looking
foreward to going
back to normal.