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'I've never seen anything like this.' SC nurse details experience fighting COVID-19 at hospital

Sumter native Latori Parrott says her main focus is the patient, despite fears of contraction herself.

SOUTH CAROLINA, USA — At a young age, Latori Parrott decided nursing would be her calling. 

Now, nearly eleven years into the field, she's experiencing work like never before as COVID-19 spreads across the country. 

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"I've never seen anything like this," she said, with additional protective gear, including a face mask and shield now seemingly the new normal. 

The coronavirus is known to live in people for at least 14 days.

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It's the period Parrott, as someone working on the front lines, initially chose to spend away from her family, but, as the outreach of the virus continues to grow, the time when she'll see their faces again seems to push further away. 

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"It's been really emotional," Parrott said. "When things got a little more hectic, I decided that I would stay home and stay away from my family.... So, it's been a lot of phone calls, a lot of video chats, a lot of group text messaging to keep in touch with my family."

Credit: Latori Parrott
Latori Parrott

Parrott, a Sumter native, has been working at a North Carolina hospital where, so far, she says she's had the supplies she needs. Her main focus is the patient, despite fears of contraction herself.

"Your first instinct is to make sure that patient is well. To make sure that patient survives and, at that moment, you don't think about yourself." she said. "You think about saving that patient's life."

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As the country hopes for a swift end to the outbreak, she has just one request of locals unaffected.

"Follow the rules," she said. "If you can stay in, stay in.... Hopefully, just be patient and praying that this will blow over soon."

For general questions about COVID-19 visit the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control website at scdhec.gov/COVID19 or the CDC website here.

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