THE message from every staff member I spoke to was clear – please take this virus seriously.

And please help us by abiding by the rules.

It’s really difficult to comprehend that there are still people spreading misinformation about Covid-19 and that there are still people willing to break the rules and take risks because they don’t think the virus will affect them.

Inside the covid wards: Nurses and patient speak about life in Glasgow's superhospital

Every aspect of life has changed over the past 10 months but not everyone has been directly touched by illness.

It’s only very recently that I’ve had a close friend and colleagues test positive with Covid-19.

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So, while everything has changed in one sense, this is still a crisis that, in another sense, feels quite removed from everyday life.

This is a life-changing event where the very heart of the crisis is being played out behind closed doors in hospitals.

And I think that sense of distance is what makes people feel they can take chances.

Which is partly why we felt it was so important to show Glasgow exactly what’s going on in the city’s hospitals and why it remains absolutely vital that everyone plays their part.

The request to access a hospital wasn’t one the Glasgow Times made lightly.

We understood the pressures that staff were under would not be helped by having a reporter and photographer on the ward.

But after several weeks of discussion with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde it was felt that highlighting the work going on in the city’s hospitals is important.

We’ve all seen scenes of overburdened ICU wards and heard stories of intensive care.

Last year the Glasgow Times visited the Covid-19 intensive care wards at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and met the staff who had endured the peak of the first wave of the virus.

But this time round the story has changed.

Medics know more about this brand-new virus and treatment paths have changed.

While the media focus is on intensive care, this time hospitals are trying to cope with a second wave of the pandemic plus keep outpatient and non-emergency surgery running.

It is an incredibly busy time – but the health service in Glasgow is coping.

Coronavirus Scotland: Palliative care consultant speaks of Covid pressures on Queen Elizabeth hospital

Of course, it’s coping thanks to the incredible staff working in our hospitals.

We forget that these are individual people too who haven’t been on holiday, who aren’t seeing loved ones, who are isolated away from family, who are waiting for elderly parents to get their jabs, who are trying to home-school children, who are afraid of falling ill.

On top of all that they are dealing with the day-to-day reality of never-ending work, increased numbers of deaths, the difficulties of PPE and the stress of their working conditions being radically altered.

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Awesome is a word that’s often misused.

But in this case, it’s absolutely right: what I saw during my hours on the Covid wards inspired awe.

READ MORE: Doctors at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital tell of the toll of coronavirus

From the security guard at the entrance of SATA, making sure the dignity of those coming in by ambulance was protected from a journalist’s watching eyes, to the volunteers in the lobby providing a link between patients and loved ones, to the compassion, skills and expertise of the nurses and physicians. Truly awesome.

Really, we owe them a great debt of thanks. We can repay it, for now, by staying home, washing our hands and wearing a mask.