Despite that COVID-19 infection rates are slowing down in New York City, hospital workers say much more needs to be done. 

Nurses say working conditions have become unbearable and spoke out at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi Thursday. 

Karen Lam says she sometimes takes care of up to 14 patients all by herself during her shift as a registered nurse. “It’s nonstop from the moment I walk in the door to the moment I leave,” said Lam. 

Lam says she sometimes doesn’t have time to eat or use the restroom. 

She joined nurses across the five boroughs Thursday to call for better working conditions as the city continues its fight against the pandemic. 

Hospitals around the country have been understaffed and overcrowded. “I can’t split myself down the middle, I can’t split myself into 10, and because I don’t have that ability to be 10 people at once. I know that I’m neglecting some of my patients,” said Lam. 

Lam says hospitals need to hire more nurses, especially as she sees more and more of her coworkers quitting. 

Nurses tell News 12 they aren’t happy with the new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that say employees can return to work after five days even if they still test positive for COVID-19. 

News 12 reached out to NYC Health + Hospitals, and it responded with a statement saying it will continue to hire hundreds of nurses in the days ahead and are transferring patients across hospitals to balance out demand.