On May 11, the federal COVID-19 public health emergency expires. It marks the official end of a pandemic that has now killed more than 1.1 million people in the United States and more than 101,700 people in California. According to public health officials, 36,200 of them lived in L.A. County.
Lifting the public health emergency is a sign that progress has been made, but officials acknowledge the virus is here to stay.
Beyond the statistics are people in our community continuing to grieve or adjust to severe and debilitating symptoms after contracting the virus. Throughout the pandemic, LAist told the stories of Angelenos striving to heal sick patients while working in besieged hospitals and of those advocating for representation. As the persistent threat of infection hangs over the official end of the COVID pandemic, LAist checked back in with three people we interviewed in the last three years to see how the pandemic changed them and their hopes for the future.
Jun Jai: A nurse’s view from the ICU
Jun Jai has worked as an ICU nurse for 14 years.
Life After The Pandemic Emergency: A Nurse’s Point Of View
Throughout the pandemic, intensive care units rapidly filled up with the worst COVID-19 cases, putting extreme strain on critical-care teams — especially the nurses. The stress and…
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