1967 2 THE ferocity of the second wave of Covid-19, compounded by an acute paucity of hospital beds and medical supplies and healthcare staff strength that is rapidly falling short of the spiralling need, has left an unprecedented trail of infections and deaths. Watching this chaos-riddled painful gloom from close quarters are doctors, nurses, technicians, ward boys, mortuary workers and other staffers. The trauma of dealing with so much sickness and their helplessness in accommodating all needy patients, even as they risk catching the virus every day, is taking a huge mental toll on these frontline warriors. They are reaching the end of their tether as patients, including their own colleagues, are slipping out of their hands at an alarming pace and grieving relatives are bombarding them with all kinds of requests and recriminations. The new peaks witnessed daily in the past month have strained resources and stretched the workforce thin, leading to a war-like situation.