Dr. Amir Qureshi has hardly had a minute to himself since the COVID-19 pandemic set off a worldwide medical scramble last year. Most days, he works a 12-hour shift, consulting on patients with the virus or other infections like pneumonia. “I’m sometimes exhausted, sometimes frustrated,” Qureshi said. “And there is a human side to it, too.” He’s missed out on time with his wife and three school-aged children, and he finds it difficult not knowing when the crisis will be over.
Qureshi works just down the street from Caesars Palace on the famed Las Vegas Strip the only infectious disease specialist at the 293-bed Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. His services have always been in demand, but the pandemic has brought a heightened level of urgency. Last July, during the second peak of infections, hospital staff were treating from 40 to 60 patients at a time, while ICU beds were always in short supply.