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UIC Medical Center Nurse Says COVID-19 Patients Are 'Terrified In Their Hospital Beds'

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Treating patients day in and day out is taking an emotional toll on health care workers.

Nurse Daniel Ortiz has been working in the COVID care wing at the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center. A few days ago, he came down with a fever and is now self-isolating at home.

But we wanted to know about the patients in his unit. His story was harrowing.

"There's no words to describe how terrified they are in the hospital beds right now. It's hard not having a broken heart, knowing you don't know what's going to happen to these patients," Ortiz said. "You staying inside buys us viable time for us to figure this thing out. If the hospital system can't figure this thing out, what's next after the hospital? There's nothing left after the hospital. We're it. That's why we're the front line and the last line. I cannot imagine how Illinois is going handle it if we have the numbers New York has."

Ortiz will stay in quarantine until he gets his test results, which should be any day.

He said he is anxious to find out so he can get back to work.

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