SoumyaVerified account

The nurse, Celia Marcos, told her family about treating the COVID patient. She said she put hand sanitizer in her hair before leaving work, and showered immediately after getting home. She was alarmed by how quickly the patient deteriorated. “Pls be extra careful,” she warned.

Celia Marcos’ death illustrates the way frontline workers’ risk of falling ill has been amplified by a national shortage of personal protective equipment. “I was the one right in front of his face,” Marcos wrote in a text to her niece reviewed by The Times.

Some worry that nurses not on COVID wards may actually be in more danger than others, since gear mostly goes to those on covid wards. One nurse from Celia’s floor switched onto a COVID unit for that reason. “Even if we don’t have enough (PPE), we have more than everybody else.”

Celia Marcos was known for her sweet nature and ability to remain cool-headed, no matter the situation. Filipino colleagues called her “ate” — big sister in Tagalog. “She’s the calm that we can look to in order to get through,” a colleague said.