IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. — Across North Carolina, COVID-19 cases are on the rise. One ICU nurse hopes it doesn’t get as bad as last year.

What You Need To Know

Last week, the North Carolina COVID Task Force reported the state is experiencing the biggest increase of COVID-19 cases since February.

Hospitalizations more than doubled in the month of July

92% of the cases are those who are not fully vaccinated

Danielle Pennell has worked as an ICU nurse for six years. Every morning when she starts work, she prepares and sanitizes patient rooms. Her days are usually 12 hours long and filled with ups and downs, but nothing compares to what she experienced last year during the height of the pandemic.

“We put our gown on, mask on and gloves,” Pennell said. “You have to have a face shield when you go into the COVID room, just to protect yourself.”

Pennell said sometimes she would be in the room with a COVID-19 patient for several hours.

“The patients are alone and scared,” Pennel said. “They could not have any visitors.”

This was tough on the patients, but it was also challenging for intensive care nurses. Pennell said she personally watched patients die from COVID-19.

“You do everything that you can, and in the end there is nothing that you can do to save them,” Pennell said. “As a nurse, that is what we do. We save people, and that was one of the hardest things, not being able to save them.”

Right now, Pennell only sees a few COVID-19 patients per week. Most of the people in the ICU for COVID-19 are unvaccinated. But she worries about the future.

“I feel like if people don’t get vaccinated it will be just as bad as last year and that is something we don’t want to go through,” Pennell said.

Pennell got the virus back in December and is still suffering from long haul symptoms.

“I have never had lung problems, and there were times where I would feel like I couldn't breathe,” Pennell said. “It’s scary, and I would not want to go through that ever again.”