Carrying posters with photos of nurses who died of COVID-19, members of National Nurses United protested in front of the White House on Tuesday, demanding more personal protective equipment like respirators, gowns, gloves, and face shields for the medical workers treating coronavirus patients.
Six weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses are "still not protected when they are caring for suspected or COVID-19 patients," Amirah Sequeria, lead legislative advocate for the union, told CBS News. "Nurses are getting sick and nurses are dying and the administration and Congress have failed."
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Britta Breenan, a critical care nurse at Washington Hospital Center, said nurses "are not heroes. We're human beings and we are susceptible just like everyone else is. And if we are dying then we can't take care of our patients. We have had nurses from our hospital die from COVID-19. And they are not dignified deaths."
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