LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Nevada is making strides in fighting COVID-19, and it's important to remember where it all began.
No one saw the realities of the pandemic as clearly as frontline health care workers and those who battled COVID-19 in the hospital.
CORONAVIRUS: Nevada reports 222 new cases, 1 new death
“I asked them if I’m going to be okay and they’re like we don’t know,” Dr. Frank Stile said.
Stile thought he had dodged COVID-19 until just two months ago.
“To get so sick so quickly was scary,” he said.
The infection sent him to Southern Hills Hospital for about nine days and things got worse before they got better.
“I was placed in the ICU for a day, I had high-pressure oxygen,” Stile said.
The battle against COVID-19 stretched from the patient rooms and through the halls of the hospital.
“We were cautious and nervous, but we knew we had a job to do,” said registered nurse Michael Farren.
When the pandemic began almost a year ago, medical professionals had been fighting a battle of their own to find answers.
“That was at a time when we didn’t really have any known treatments available,” Dr. Christopher Voscopoulos said.
Voscopoulos says the first couple of months were difficult, especially seeing some of the hospital’s first COVID-19 cases.
“My memory at first was what we all experienced, which was a sense of initial fear,” he said.
That fear was coupled with what was happening outside the hospital’s walls as the world essentially shut down.
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Tuesday marks one year since the Clark County School District closed and Wednesday marks one year since Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced a 30-day shutdown of all non-essential businesses.
“One year later we have a lot of confidence in how to manage this entity,” Voscopoulos said.
