Inside the Hot Zone: Fighting COVID-19 in the Bahamas

On October 15, Samaritan’s Purse airlifted a 28-bed Emergency Field Hospital to the Bahamas—along with doctors, nurses, and supplies—to help combat the island’s second wave of COVID-19. Overwhelmed with coronavirus patients, Nassau’s Princess Margaret Hospital was filled to capacity and desperate for space. The Prime Minister, who was familiar with the ministry’s work after Hurricane Dorian of September 2019, called Samaritan’s Purse for additional support.

For a fresh perspective, Kristy Graham called Whitney Peterson, a registered nurse serving as team lead for the Emergency Field Hospital. Whitney explained the increasing hardships that the Bahamian people have faced during the past year—from Hurricane Dorian, to a decline in tourism causing economic downturn, and now the spike in COVID-19 cases.

To provide surge capacity, Samaritan’s Purse set up an Emergency Field Hospital in the parking lot of the local hospital—allowing the two care facilities to seamlessly work together.

“A big part of why we want to be here for these people is to say, ‘The Lord has sent us to walk alongside you in this time, and to let you know that you’re not alone in it.’ The Lord is with them, and we get to be vessels in one component of that. He’s the healer.” – Whitney Peterson

Through each passing day, God is sustaining Samaritan’s Purse doctors and nurses to treat the patients in the Emergency Field Hospital. One patient named Christa made a lasting impression on Kaitlyn, one of our podcast team members on the ground in the Bahamas. After Kaitlyn returned to Samaritan’s Purse headquarters, she and Kristy spoke of how Christa trusted God through her battle with COVID-19.

“She started talking about how faithful God was—even from a hospital bed. That was the first thing on the tip of her tongue. ‘God is so faithful,’ she said. She said she was not afraid when she was diagnosed with the coronavirus because God was her rock.” – Kaitlyn Lahm

Christa, only in her early 50s, works for the Department of Environmental Health as a vector control officer. When she arrived at the Samaritan’s Purse Emergency Field Hospital, she was weak and hardly had the strength to speak. Even still, she recited her favorite Scriptures in Psalm 90 and continually encouraged her doctors and nurses. Despite suffering from the coronavirus, she had no fear—trusting that God was in control of her life and circumstances.

Kaitlyn explained that day by day, she watched Christa’s strength return with God’s help and the care from her nurses. The episode closes by hearing the hearts of many of the medical staff serving in the Bahamas. They share that God’s love is the reason that keeps them serving—even in difficult conditions.

Please continue to pray for COVID-19 patients in the Bahamas, as well as our disaster assistance response team that is helping in Jesus’ Name.