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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. During the pandemic, I was working 12-to-16-hour shifts as a 911 dispatcher. 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. 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. 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 my mental health that began to struggle. I was working more 16-hour shifts than ever before. I did not mind the shifts I was working with, but it began to take a toll on me. I felt trapped. I felt like it was something I could not get out of. This was such a dream job for me, 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. 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. 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, 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. I let my director know and he got so angry with me that he hung up on me 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. When I finally tested negative, he ordered me to come in for my shift and to cover the overtime. I was still very sick and had just been in contact with someone who was positive, but I guess no quarantining for dispatchers.