A viral tweet showing dozens of iPad stations being prepped for dying coronavirus patients shows the grim reality of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
Twitter user @roto_tudor, an ER/family doctor by profession, shared the heartbreaking photo from the ICU Ward of a stateside hospital, showing several iPads attached to what appear to be tripods or stands.
The devices were being used for palliative care patients to FaceTime their friends and family members and bid farewell to them in their final moments before death due to the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
"These are iPad stations being prepared for virtual ICU end of life visits by a palliative care doc I know. Jesus," @roto_tudor captioned the post, which has gone viral on Twitter with close to 23,000 retweets and 90,000 likes.
Twitter Reactions
The post has hit home for many people, with several users expressing their heartbreaking experiences of having to say goodbye to their loved ones virtually.
"On Monday my boyfriend said goodbye to his mother on an iPad. He didn't get one last hug or simply hold her hand. He sat behind glass & held an iPad to try and prevent doing the same goodbye with his elderly father," wrote one user.
"I had to do this with my mother," commented another. "She wasn't even conscious, hooked up to the ventilator. Worst thing I've done in my life behind seeing her lifeless in a casket."
"Did the same with my mother Thanksgiving Day," tweeted yet another. "The pain of losing her is almost unbearable and it was so unnecessary."
US Records Deadliest Day with 2,800 COVID-19 Deaths
The U.S. currently has the highest number of total COVID-19 cases, which now stands at over 14 million. So far, 274,000 Americans have died of the virus. On Wednesday, more than 2,800 people died from coronavirus within a span of 24 hours across the country, making it the deadliest day in the pandemic so far.
As of Thursday evening, Johns Hopkins University reported 203,304 new cases and 2,702 reported deaths for the day. This is the second highest daily report of new cases since the pandemic began.
