8 months later Italy’s leading medical heroes

After eight months, they allow themselves a faint, forced smile. The tired terror in their eyes faded. They are chic in makeup or a handkerchief tucked into a jacket pocket.

But for doctors and nurses who have been at the forefront of Italy’s corona virus war from the beginning, there has been an impact over time. They have seen so much suffering and death and experienced for themselves: fear of infection, isolation from their families, anger at Govt-19 suspects and a great sense of powerlessness before an evil virus.

The Associated Press returned to photograph 16 health workers, photographed on the worst day of Italy’s first wave Epidemic exemplifies the sacrifice of the world’s medical staff during epidemics.

Those March 27 portraits were green and ghostly. Each was taken in front of identical tattoo drops at the hospitals in Bergamo, Presia and Rome, and some subjects were unrecognizable behind their scrubs, envelopes and face shields. Photographed during the break or at the end of their shifts, they were exhausted and scared, and the bones in their cheeks were rubbed green from the masks and glasses.

Today, with the release of street wear and their hair surgery hornets, they look like your fashionable neighbor or cousin, and their personalities are coming despite the lasting tension. The beards are a little fuller, some whiter, but the masks are intact. The fear in their view on March 27 appears to be the same as the wise resignation.

The 10-week national lockout from March to May eventually curbed the virus in Italy and emptied intensive care units in the summer. But the country is now at the speed of a second wave of violence, and is once again leading Europe to a horrific death toll..

Dr. Sebastiano Petracca, anesthesiologist and medical leader at the Casalpaloco Hospital in Rome, said: “Some patients we don’t have weapons with: everything we do, we know how to do it, is useless.”

“You should stay there.”

Sometimes, that powerlessness is exacerbated by anger and bitterness that their efforts in the first waves were in vain. The number of infections nationwide now stands at 1.8 million. There are about 80,000 health workers. Two hundred and fifty-five doctors died.

“We health professionals risk our lives every day in ICUs and there are people talking about the plot,” said Claudia Accordo, an angry interim maintenance technician. “Don’t call us heroes. Protect yourself and help us not to die because of you. ”

At the same time, although the original expression of solidarity with the general public waned during these eight months, there were moments of joy and a sense of common purpose.

Many of the 16, through two-layer latex gloves, say they have realized how important a touch or bitterness is, and people are afraid to walk away from their loved ones, fearing the wind and fearing they may die.

Dr. Gabriel Domasoni, president of the ICU at Civic Hospital in Brescia, recalled the video he received from the family of a patient he had been in the hospital for several months and 95 days in the ICU.

“You were able to see one of the grandchildren jumping around this 65-year-old nonno, incredible and so happy to have him back home,” Tomasoni said. “This is our job.”

Unfortunately, their task is not always going to be easy. Italy overtook Britain this weekend, leading Europe with the most official COVID-19 deaths, affecting more than 64,000 people, although its daily new infections began to decline after a second peak. A third relapse – or a dragged second – is feared by virologists as the family reunites at Christmas and the worst of the winter flu season.

16 people will be at work, they want wisdom to change the ignorance or selfish arrogance of those who do not do simple things to protect themselves and others.

“I will be here for Christmas. Just like I celebrated Easter here, like August, like every day, ”Petraca said, her eyes starting to come out nicely. “Holidays? I have no vacation since March 18th. ”

“I can use one.”

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Nicole Winfield contributed from Rome. Andhra visual journalists Trisha Thomas and Luigi Navarro contributed.