ICU nurse turns patient at United Memorial Medical Center

An ICU nurse, who was at one time treating patients, is now herself a patient with COVID-19.

HOUSTON - While the number of confirmed Coronavirus COVID-19 cases climbs across Texas, workers on the frontline are also becoming sick.

On Friday, we interviewed Tanna Ingraham through a Zoom call. Ingraham is an ICU nurse at United Memorial Medical Center (UMCC). According to Ingraham, she started showing symptoms earlier this week and is now an ICU patient at UMCC.

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“I shouldn’t be in here,” said Ingraham, upset she can’t continue treating COVID-19 patients. “I need to be out there.”

Ingraham says she first started feeling Coronavirus symptoms Tuesday or Wednesday. After she lost her sense of taste and smell, she knew something wasn’t right. Since then, her symptoms have quickly escalated. We spoke with her Friday after she received a breathing treatment. Prior to the treatment, Ingraham says it was challenging to breathe.

“[It feels] like I have a whole side of broken ribs,” said Ingraham. “I would give anything to see my kids and my mom right now. It’s scary. You don’t know if you’re going to come out alive.”

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During the Zoom interview, another ICU nurse-delivered food to Ingraham’s room. That nurse was seen wearing double layers of personal protective equipment including a bodysuit, apron, gloves, masks, shoe covers, and a face shield.

“This is what I wore,” said Ingraham. “This is what I had on. That’s why I’m like, why am I in here.”

Although Ingraham isn’t sure, she believes she could have gotten sick while trying to save a COVID-19 patient’s life.

“[Resuscitating] my patient,” said Ingraham. “This is his face, here’s his chest I’m pumping on. I had to lean over. I had my mask on. I had my shield on. It entered somehow someway.”

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Chief Medical Officer at United Memorial Medical Center, Dr. Joseph Varon, believes Ingraham is the hospital’s first staff member to get COVID-19.

“We have been very successful,” said Dr. Varon. “The fact is, after 99 days, this is the first time we have a staff member sick with COVID.

New video shared with us from Houston Methodist Hospital shows staff members inside their COVID unit also busy. According to officials, there are almost 30,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Harris County. That number includes almost 10,000 recoveries and roughly 360 deaths.

“It’s not a hoax,” said Dr. Varon. “Anybody that thinks this is a hoax, ask them to come on the hospital grounds with me for a day.”

On Thursday, four major Houston hospital CEOs insisted they’re not worried about hospital bed capacity. However, a new LabPolicy model projects Harris County to average more than 4,000 new COVID-19 cases per day by mid-July.

“The models today, I don’t want to say apocalyptic, but they’re very concerning,” said Dr. Peter Hotez from Texas Children’s Hospital.
“I’m seeing more cases in my hospital,” said Dr. Varon. “This is not just from more testing.”

Ingraham remained in ICU Friday night but is anxious to get back to work.

“Somebody has got to be there for them,” said Ingraham. “That’s me. I would never second guess it. I’m waiting to get better so I can come back and do it again.”