PROVIDENCE, R.I. — They sound like soldiers, facing an enemy both invisible and treacherous.
At the hospitals, they care for the sick and prepare for a surge of COVID-19 patients. At the nursing homes, they try to protect their fragile residents against a virus that’s sickened and killed dozens of other elderly people.
The nurses know what’s coming. They hope they can be safe. They fear that they won’t have the medical equipment they need. They worry that the public doesn’t understand how bad this could be.
These are their first-person stories from the front lines. (The interviews have been edited and condensed.)
By Globe Staff,Updated April 13, 2020