Thread by @MiamiHerald

As an onslaught of patients with the new coronavirus threatened to overwhelm South Florida’s medical system in the Spring of 2020, doctors and nurses at one community hospital in Miami-Dade County did something extraordinary.

They started recording. #ICUMiami 🧵

Inside the COVID Unit: Battling the Coronavirus Pandemic in Miami, a five-part Miami Herald/McClatchy documentary, tells the stories of @JacksonHealth frontline healthcare workers, their patients and their families as the pandemic first hit. trib.al/Q8GUDGh

Through heartbreak and hope, they documented what happened “Inside the COVID Unit” in one small public hospital, as Miami emerged as a national hotspot for infection.

“I never thought there would be a virus this bad. It was always just the movies.” trib.al/DvvlxJ8

Visual journalist @Reshma416 was granted extraordinary access at Jackson South Medical Center to reveal the sacrifices made by those doctors, nurses and support staff deep inside the battle against a new and deadly disease — and the cost in lives lost. trib.al/I9UYUTg

@Reshma416 Even with all the tools of modern medicine, nothing had prepared them for this.

“It's having emotional connections with people ... and then watching them die,” said 45-year-old Dr. Andrew Pastewski, the ICU medical director at Jackson South.

@Reshma416 The staff captured moments of poignancy, as families of patients spoke to loved ones on iPads, nurses volunteering to make the connection.

They showed measures being taken to save lives — turning patients on stomachs to help them breathe, intubating as a last resort.

@Reshma416 Outside the hospital, the strain on the staff — and their families — was apparent.

But they agreed that it was important to show, in unsparing detail, the risks healthcare workers were taking to treat COVID patients, how hard they fought for every life and how much they cared.

@Reshma416 At times, the clips served as a rough video diary, catching medical workers as they tried to keep their own spirits up, with no end to the crisis in sight.

“The only thing I regret is I couldn't figure out a way to save them all,” lamented Dr. Pastewski.

@Reshma416 “Inside the COVID Unit episode 1: The Front Lines” takes you behind the scenes as the pandemic swept across the country and took aim at South Florida.

New episodes will be released over the next four weeks. #ICUMiami
Watch them here: miamiherald.com/ICU

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