NEWPORT, Ky. — Nurse and infectious disease response team coordinator Lee Ann Ernst said she remembers the day COVID became a harsh reality in her world, and in Northern Kentucky. It was March 18, 2020 to be exact.

When asked if she was ever scared after that day, she said she was. But luckily, she and other healthcare workers in St. Elizabeth were there for each other.

Over time, they went through not just one but two waves of surges as the virus mutated over time. While the world was working on returning to normal, Ernst said the hospital couldn't let its guard down.

Recently the omicron variant has landed in the U.S. and along with that came new concerns.

For Ernst and other coworkers, they're sticking it out and prepping for another battle – one that consists of many unknowns.

“We’ll do it," Ernst said. "We’ll do it in style, we’ll do it with scientific evidence, and we’ll do it with clinical insights."

Just as this new variant begins making its presence known globally, St. Elizabeth reported 100 COVID inpatients on Dec. 2, 2021.

21 of those patients were in the ICU and 90% of the hospital's ICU patients were unvaccinated. This report gets regularly updated online.

St. Elizabeth and Artworks unveiled a new mural on November 30. This mural shows a healthcare worker saying "I'm here." It's something Ernst said is very accurate.

“We are going to be right here through this current phase of it and all the way through," she said.

But it was just two simple words that stuck out to Ernst: "Thank you" written on the mural.

“Means so much. You know they’re not hollow, they’re not empty words," she said.