A doctor is offering the public a glimpse into life in the emergency room during the coronavirus pandemic.
Christopher Bennett, an ER doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital, has been recording a video diary on what he's seeing first-hand in the ER.
NBC10 Boston spoke to him just as he finished his shift Wednesday.
"Early on in the morning, we noticed there's a large influx of patients who happen to be older, who have preexisting conditions, who are quite sick," said Bennett.
Bennett has been working in the "acute" section of the ER, where people are the sickest.
The days and nights are long.
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"I'm good. I'm afraid to take my scrub cap off, I don't know what my hair looks like underneath it. I haven't properly felt my nose in about four to five days, but I'm well."
He says he's grateful that he hasn't gotten sick and can wake up every day to take care of his patients.
"It's very difficult to see so many people who are sick, to have very difficult conversations with family members," he said. "But to see the community, the emergency department and the hospital to come together is very reassuring."
Bennett says this virus has really influenced what he does in the ER and how he does it.
"I don't wear a watch, I don't wear a wedding ring, and the goal for that is to decrease the rate of transmission," he said.
The barrier between the doctors and patients has also been tough due to personal protective equipment.
"You don't get a lot of the human interaction," Bennett said. "You don't get to show a lot of emotion. The mask pretty much outlines the entire portion of my face, smiles, patients don't see that."
As for what's next, Bennett is moving across the country to California in the summer when things quiet down. He's accepted a professorship at Stanford University.
