DES MOINES, Iowa — Coronavirus hospitalizations continue to surge in Iowa, and MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center registered nurse Manda Sundberg has been witnessing it all since March.
Eight months ago, Sundberg says she was one of the first nurses to volunteer to work for the COVID-19 unit.
"I volunteered right away," said Sundberg. "I messaged and said, 'Hey, if you need me I'm available'. It didn't even cross my mind to have a second thought about it."
Sundberg says the worst part to her is the isolation that patients have to experience, especially when she has to comfort those who are dying.
"For me, knowing that I was able to be there even though they didn't have family there," Sundberg said.
"At least somebody was there so they weren't completely alone."
But according to Sundberg, there are are some good moments sprinkled within all the bad. Something simple that has become big for those working within the unit is when nurses are able to boost oxygenation levels in patients.
"You'll see a lot of smiling faces. Not just the nurse. Everyone in the room will be smiling."
Recently, Sundberg says she's been seeing more deaths than usual and she's noticed an increase in the amount of coronavirus cases coming into the hospital.
She says these situation could lead to overcrowded emergency rooms which could also impact overall patient care.
As of Wednesday evening, 1,208 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized. 215 are in the intensive care unit and 101 are on ventilators. Only 30% of total inpatients beds are available, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health.