Coronavirus: ‘Each one of those numbers is a story, a family left grieving’

Coronavirus: ‘Each one of those numbers is a story, a family left grieving’

Marlene Tucay, registered nurse at UCI Medical Center: “Every time we step on campus, we have to psych ourselves up to help our patients as best we can – and to help each other, too. I can see it on my coworkers’ faces. We are in a dire situation. … We see the scared look on our patients faces – especially when they are placed on oxygen. … They are so afraid. All we can do is say, ‘Hang in there. Everyone is rooting for you.’ “We tell their families, ‘We are doing the best we can.’ We don’t want to be negative, but we also don’t want to give false hope.”