The best of people in the worst of times
The Manchester Evening News has been granted rare access to Covid-19 wards at the Manchester Royal Infirmary. We met staff and patients enduring the toughest fight of their lives.
19:35, 1 MAR 2021
Updated
Sam Clarke took the mask from its packet and pulled it over her face.
It was a routine she had been through hundreds of times before.
But this time, the instant the fabric touched her skin, she froze. The air heavy, her throat tight, she gasped desperately for breath.
As a nurse, Sam knew she was having a panic attack. It would be the first of many - each time triggered by the feeling of personal protective equipment closing around her nose and her mouth.