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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.

1. I think the coronavirus pandemic affected me in many ways.<strong> During the pandemic, I was working 12-to-16-hour shifts as a 911 dispatcher</strong>. There was no staying home and no working from home. We had a lot more domestic violence calls and a lot more suicidal subject calls. It was all the effects of the pandemic.<strong> I loved my dispatch job but when the pandemic first started, I became very ill. I can recall getting so physically sick whenever I would get to work or whenever I would leave my house.</strong> I did not think much of it. I even went to the doctor asking her what she thought it could be. She decided that it was a sensitivity to food. I asked her if it could be stress related since I was feeling more uneasy about leaving my house and she did not believe it was that. I continued to work but it was hard to focus on work when I felt so sick to my stomach every time I went to work. Shortly after it was<strong> my mental health that began to struggle. I was working more 16-hour shifts than ever before.</strong> I did not mind the shifts I was working with, but<strong> it began to take a toll on me. I felt trapped.</strong> I felt like it was something I could not get out of. This was<strong> such a dream job for me,</strong> and I could not think of leaving but something had to give. I was working more shifts because we had so many female workers off on maternity leave. The co-worker I was covering for went off on maternity leave in May and as the months went by, it did not seem like she would be returning to work.<strong> I was hoping people would step up and help with the enormous amount of overtime there was but not too many people wanted to help.</strong> From that, it caused me to work so many hours. I knew whenever I would get a text it would be from a shift leader ordering me for overtime. I did not have to even read it anymore. I knew what it would be, and I would just break down and start crying. While this was going on,<strong> my best friend who was on my shift, and who was pregnant, tested positive for COVID. I was with her for well over 12 hours face-to-face. I began feeling sick with a dry cough, nasal congestion, chills, and an awful headache. I let my PCP know and she told me I needed to be tested.</strong> I let<strong> my director</strong> know and he<strong> got so angry with me that he hung up on me</strong> after telling me I needed to tell him when I tested negative. It was my work weekend (Friday through Sunday) and he removed me from the schedule. I did not ask for that. I just wanted him to know what was going on.<strong> When I finally tested negative, he ordered me to come in for my shift and to cover the overtime</strong>. I was still very sick and had just been in contact with someone who was positive, but<strong> I guess no quarantining for dispatchers.</strong>