Lena Ekberg has been a hospital priest at Södersjukhuset in Stockholm for seven years. She is used to meeting people who are seriously ill or relatives who are worried. But the corona pandemic has changed everyday life. Because relatives have difficulty coming to the hospital, whether their relatives have covid-19 or are there for any other reason, her encounters with the sick have become even more important.
But meeting just covid patients is special. She needs full protective equipment, which makes it difficult to get close to the patient and provide physical contact. Toughest for patients, however, she believes isolation and fear are.
- Sometimes I meet people with suspected covid who have risk factors and they are terrified, says Lena Ekberg.