Society’s Angels – The Museum of 2020

“The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and the cause and prevention of disease.” – Thomas Edison

Unknown User (12019), August 16, 2011, Pixabay — Taken on a Nikon D3, on August 16, 2011, by an unknown user—that goes by 12019. This photo doesn’t have a title but portrays how the healthcare system used to work before COVID-19. There is not a single mask, plexiglass protection, or face shield insight. The healthcare worker high fives the little girl, and both of them are grinning. Hospitals are a scary place, especially in the eyes of children. And while doctors have a job to save people, this job also comes with the requirement of making people feel safe and positive, so they don’t over-stress themselves even in a life-threatening situation. The unique aspect of this photograph is the immense brightness of the hospital room. The light furthers the innocence and carefree environment of the hospital room, which is very contrasting to the current view of hospitals. Due to COVID, not only have hospitals been the place where lives were saved, but also where those who had their last breath.

After 2020 arrived, so did the COVID-19…

This photograph “ Annalisa Silverstri of the San Salvatore Hospital in Pesaro, Italy, at the end of her shift during the COVID-19 pandemic” is taken by Alberto Giuliani on March 19, 2020. At the early stages of COVID-19, Italy was one of the hardest-hit countries alongside China, Spain, and South Korea. Giuliani is from Pesaro, Italy where the hostel is located and his specific town has been at the top of the number COVID-19 cases and deaths. It was taken after a 12 hours shift for doctors without any breaks. Giuliani calls it an “unequal war” because doctors and nurses have been titled the “new superheroes of society”, but unlike their titles, they have no superpower. They too are vulnerable to the virus, but they must save people. After the shift, Guiliani describes that the doctors would take off their PPE, and just collapse and remain motionless as if their souls have left their bodies from all chaos they are living amidst. All of their energy is drained from them rather than going home and resting, they need to rest immediately even if it means sitting alone on the floor in the hospital hallways. Metaphorically, everyone is fighting against the virus; however, the truth is that the healthcare workers are fighting the war against the virus alone.

“Francesca Palumbo, an intensive care nurse, was taken by Alberto Giuliani on March 18, 2020, at the San Salvatore Hospital in Pesaro, Italy. Healthcare workers during COVID-19, have been recognized by angels of society, as they are sacrificing their lives every day to say another’s. However, because the virus is easily contagious and the number of cases exponentially increased daily, healthcare workers had to protect themselves from the virus to continue saving more people. This photograph shows a nurse, Palumbo, from the intensive care unit which is where most of the COVID-19 patients reside. With the condition that the virus blew up out of nowhere, hospitals didn’t have enough supplies. And at the same time patients were increasingly being admitted. This meant that healthcare workers had to work very long shifts without taking off their mask or changing any PPE. And at the end of the shift, these doctors are left with sore indents around their faces. From Palumbo’s face, the lines indented are like wrinkles, almost like how a single shift at the hospital can age her tenfold. Their own physical appearance is altered and can be fatal, as the self-connection/ bond for healthcare workers can be lost due to the necessary protection against the virus.

“ 湖北省中医院一位身穿防护服的医生给患者看病” or “ A doctor in PPE sees a patient at Hubei Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine”, was taken from a newspaper company, China News Service, on January 22, 2020. The first known discovery of the virus was from China, so the treatment of the virus began way early compared to the rest of the world. While the virus was a surprise and caused a limit of supplies, because China is an industrial country, supplies weren’t a big issue. However, the issue was the drastically large population of the country, considering the virus was easily spreadable. In late January, there was a mandated lockdown in Hubei, Wuhan to keep the majority of the cases in the province, and had thousands of doctors sent from around the country to focus on Wuhan was the epicenter for the virus. Due to the mandated lockdown, people were focused to stay at home and any necessities government-provided. The streets of Wuhan were empty, but the hospitals were filled. Doctors and nurses were kept under thick protection while treating and consulting patients. But due to the large capacity, there was very little time for conversation or building a personal bond because, at this point, there was very little known about the virus, and was a life and death situation.

In May 2020, a street artist, Akse_P19, painted a mural in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. The figure in the mural is inspired by a real nurse in Manchester. And is a way to honor the healthcare heroes, as on top of the figure there is a halo. The essential workers are the ones risking their lives for the rest of society, and especially those in the healthcare system because they are the ones directly working with COVID-19 patients. Doctors have always been known as heroes of society because they save people’s lives. People tend to overlook those in the healthcare industry because most people just go to the doctor for basic check-ups and not life-threatening issues, and technically it’s these doctors’ jobs. However, it was until the pandemic that unity of respect was given to these individuals. They are on the frontlines battling against the virus in terms of treatment and research, while the rest of society just has to wear a mask. Rather than a physical human connection, the bond and respect for healthcare workers have increased, and through works of art like this mural it offers a way to build an indirect human connection with society’s real angels.

Derek Devault is a registered nurse, located in California. He was inspired by another post on Instagram, where healthcare workers would place a photo of themselves on top of their PPE. It was posted on April 6, on Instagram. Due to the severity of the pandemic, healthcare workers are forced to wear a mask, goggles, a face shield, and a whole-body cover. With most of the face covered—only the eye showing, patients don’t know who is saving their life. The protective gear can be frightening and unlike pre-pandemic, healthcare workers are unable to provide reassuring smiles. Through Devault’s photo, all the nurses picked out their photos and taped them on themselves. It’s hard to tell if Devault and his fellow workers are smiling. However, it can easily be shown by looking at their pictures, and it gives patients a sense of hope. It’s the meaning that if these healthcare workers are working with patients with COVID every day, working dangerously long hours, that the patients can face the battle of COVID.

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