Health1 min(s) read
Published 10:32 11 Mar 2020 GMT
A young Italian nurse has taken to Instagram to share a revealing post detailing her experiences of working to help treat those infected by the coronavirus.
In the post, nurse Alessia Bonari shares a photograph showing bruising around her eyes, nose, and forehead, which she claims is a result of having to wear ill-fitting protective gear.
But Ms Bonari also states in the caption that despite being "afraid", constantly tired, and under huge amounts of pressure, treating those infected with the virus still remains her number one priority.
In the video below, this man reveals what it is really like to have coronavirus:
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In the post - translated by news.com.au - the nurse writes:
"I’m afraid to go to work. I’m afraid because the mask may not adhere to my face, or I may have accidentally touched myself with dirty gloves.
"I am physically tired because the protective devices are bad, the lab coat makes me sweat and once dressed I can no longer go to the bathroom or drink for six hours.
"I am psychologically tired, as are my colleagues, who have been in the same condition for weeks.
"But this won’t prevent us from doing our job as we’ve always done. I will continue to take care of my patients because I am proud and I love my job."
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Ms Bonari then asked anyone who may read her post to make an effort to stay self-isolate and maintain safe social distancing as a way of containing the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
"What I ask anyone who is reading this post is not to frustrate the efforts we are making, to be selfless, to stay at home and thus protect those who are most fragile.
"We young people are not immune to coronavirus, we too can get sick […] I can’t afford the luxury of going back to my quarantined house, I have to go to work and do my part. You do yours, I ask you please."
Since being shared to Instagram on March 11, the post has since received more than 517,000 likes and 18,000 comments.
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Many of the comments were people thanking Alessia for her dedication and hard work, with one person writing: "Thanks for what you do, sister. Thinking of you every day. Be strong. I love you."
Another Instagram user commented: "You are an example Alessia, we are all with you. You are all angels. Good job."
And a third wrote: "You are our hope. Not only now but always. You are a part of the Italy we are proud of. Hold on honey."
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The entire country was put into lockdown on Monday last week - a measure that still remains in place (as of this writing).
