NVSC Volunteer Soldiers: Every Day More Red Lines Appear, Dead

“Very often, the center staff have to ‘absorb’ the emotions of bad people and provide psychological help,” says Justina Petravičienė, NVSC’s public information specialist.

Life in the face of a pandemic seems to have a greater sense of time. Not because the virus has adjusted the pace of life, but because those fighting COVID-19 have to try to prevent the virus, its spread, and the actions of members of the public.

“Every day we try to find out which people have had high-risk contact with patients and we warn them to be isolated. It is a race against the virus and against time, which we do not always manage to win, but we try everything we can, because we are talking about the lives of our citizens ”, say the soldiers of the Voluntary National Defense Force (NDVF).

In the work of the NVSC specialists and volunteers who assist them, the most important thing is to prevent further spread of the infection as soon as possible. However, ensuring high-quality and timely epidemiological diagnoses is only one side of NVSC’s work medal.

There is pain behind each case studied

Each person’s story and situation is unique. Some communicate and cooperate nicely, others refuse to communicate, others do their best to help curb the disease, and specialists can no longer communicate with the room.

“It’s probably the hardest thing to talk to seriously ill people in this job. They can often say just a few words at a time, so you realize how much pain is behind each case. Sometimes when we call, we hear the person we are trying to contact died that day. Every day we see more and more red lines with the inscription “dead” on the lists, “the volunteer soldiers say sensitively.

Realizing and facing the gravity of the situation, NVSC representatives and volunteer soldiers emphasize that whenever they call in an infected COVID-19, they expect the person to behave responsibly and immediately isolate themselves when they feel the symptoms of the disease. “So our job is much simpler and it is likely that not many people will get infected in that particular case. Above all, I would like the public to follow the recommendations and be accountable, ”say KASP representatives.

It is also not difficult to survive people’s emotions

As both soldiers and NVSC specialists point out, the emotional toll on them is enormous. According to J. Petravičienė, very often a person conducting an epidemiological investigation has to not only “absorb” the emotions of bad people, but also provide psychological help.

“Most of the pandemic period we experience feelings of uncertainty and stress, so it is natural that those who interact with people infected by coronavirus or who have been at risk have to face various emotions,” says the NVSC public information specialist. .

People who become ill are often confused, have more difficulty than usual accepting information provided, and are concerned about their own health and that of their loved ones. This situation is very humane, but, as the NVSC representative points out, it is rare to think that the case investigators, the volunteer soldiers are the same people who are equally tired of this situation, who have their own concerns, many times they work outside of schedule, sacrificing their families time. .

“We have repeatedly emphasized that without society, without everyone’s efforts in this fight, we – the NVSC, the soldiers who help us – are alone, as in a battle without a general. Without the concentration and awareness of the people, it will not be possible to win this fight, ”thinks J. Petravičienė.

In the fight against the pandemic, in various ways.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, not only has public solidarity increased, but also corporate social responsibility. Representatives of the latter began to make all possible efforts to combat the virus that changed the world. There are many expressions of support, one of which is investing in human productivity.

“I am extremely sensitive, so I could describe the current situation and various interactions between those infected and people trying to stop the virus. Our Build Me team, that is, a large part of the public, has communicated with specialists at NVSC more than once, so it is natural that in the face of a pandemic, we also think about those who work there.

Before the most beautiful party of the year, we even wanted to do something good for those who, although they are not seen so often in the media, are also fiercely struggling with the situation in the world. When we contacted the volunteer soldiers who attended the NVSC, we were surprised that they asked for the energy necessary to do our work with quality. We support those who work in the center with coffee and bars. It may sound strange, but it turns out that sometimes when we look for great solutions, we forget the most basic and at the same time creative ways, ”says Martynas Samauskas, director of Build Me.

The co-founder of the real estate developer urges to be patient, civic and healthy in a pandemic situation. And, as the KASP soldiers call it, the solidarity of the people, “friendly conversations with the people and, if the soldier wishes him health, a sincere thanks for the work done redeems all the difficulties of the day.”