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Opinion: Professionalism drives health care workers to treat patients with Covid-19. We mustn’t jeopardize it

Americans admire health care workers, and that admiration has justifiably grown during this crisis. But we should realize that the professionalism underneath their work is fragile and needs to be…
A medical professional from Children's National Hospital works at a coronavirus drive-through testing site for those age 22 and under at Trinity University in Washington, D.C.

Why would a slight, 79-year-old physician-scientist stand up to a volatile, combative President Trump on national television? Here’s a related question: Why do millions of health care workers — doctors, nurses, emergency responders, aides, transport specialists, and more — risk their lives every day to care for those with Covid-19, a potentially deadly infection?

Personal courage is part of the explanation. But there’s more to it than that. What we are seeing is the professionalism of people like and thousands of health care workers at work. The essence of their professionalism

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