It is a daily struggle for front line workers and first responders: saving lives while keeping family members at home safe from potential exposure.
For five weeks Danny Sayegh has followed a daily decontamination ritual when he returns home from work. It's a routine even his dog knows.
The trained respiratory therapist left medicine to work in real estate, but the pandemic's takeover in New York City prompted his return.
"I felt very bothered, some guilt about not physically being there to help out," Sayegh said. He's now a part of the frontline efforts at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.
When he returns home he sheds everything at the door, before bagging all of his clothes and taking a shower immediately. Sayegh worries about making his partner sick and does his best to cope with the loneliness he feels in their apartment while trying to socially distance.
"A lot of times I want to say everything is fine, but I'm finding that I'm not sleeping well," he said.
The return to medical work during the coronavirus pandemic has changed Sayegh. Despite that, he realized the work is a grind he enjoys.
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Sayegh recently committed to work in the intensive care unit at least through the end of June.
