Of care, cure and the in-between: COVID-19 treatment in a New York City intensive care unit

Abstract

Through historical division of roots in the field of medicine, care and cure became positioned at opposite extremes. In this article, we merge conceptual framings with empirical data to consider how the dialectic between caring and curing shaped understandings during the spring 2020 wave of COVID-19 infections. We utilised interviews obtained from healthcare clinicians of a medical centre who volunteered in New York City during the surge of 2020. In the analysis, we reflect upon examples to illustrate how the unpredictability of COVID-19 temporarily deconstructed hierarchical boundaries between caretakers and highlight the benefits of incorporating palliative care measures in COVID-19 treatment.