So on Wednesday, Trump held one of those ‘press conferences’ which are really just opportunities for him to boast. In this one, he claimed there are no personal protective equipment shortages in the US, in fact, he was thinking of sending some of the surpluses to other countries.
That’s when a well-spoken nurse spoke up and told Trump she had used an N95 mask for over a week since their hospital didn’t have any and that PPE availability was ‘sporadic.’
Sophia Thomas, the president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners who works at a community health center in New Orleans, explained to the president how they have to reuse personal protective equipment.
“I think it’s sporadic,” said Sophia Thomas, the president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
“As I talk to my colleagues around the country certainly there are pockets where PPE is not ideal. But this is an unprecedented time. And the infection control measures we learned back when we went to school, one gown, one mask, one patient a day per time, this is a different time.”
Watch Trump’s face and body language. He stops listening to her, faces away, and folds his arms like a petulant child. And the other nurses look terrified though as she continues they nod their heads in agreement.
Ms. Thomas is our new hero.