Nurse posts TikTok video objecting to Trump’s tweet not to fear Covid
In October 2020 CNN reported on a widely-shared TikTok video in which nurse Cristina Hops expressed outrage at a tweet by Donald Trump urging people not to “be afraid of Covid.” Hops argued that the tweet undermined the efforts of health workers to get the public to take the deadly disease seriously. That is strong patient advocacy.
October 8, 2020 – Today CNN ran a short report by Kelsie Smith about a TikTok video in which Seattle nurse Cristina Hops strongly objected to a recent statement by Donald Trump that appeared to downplay the gravity of Covid-19. On October 5, Trump tweeted “don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life.” Fighting through tears on her video, Hops said: “I have seen hundreds of people suffocating to death and for him to say do not be afraid of Covid is astounding. How dare he undermine all of the work that we have done as nurses and health care providers?” Hops explained to CNN that people would interpret the tweet as a signal that they could relax and not worry about the disease (a view of the tweet that is widely held among public health experts). Hops herself had spent five weeks caring for Covid patients in Miami over the summer, and she said that her hospital had been “completely overrun” with cases. She said she hoped her video would encourage people to take precautions. CNN reported that the video had more than 300,000 views and had been widely shared. This is an example of a direct care nurse advocating courageously against a statement from a very powerful public official that she reasonably viewed as threatening public health. And Hops did so in a way that attracted significant attention in both social and traditional media. We thank those responsible.
See the article by Kelsie Smith, “Nurse who has seen ‘hundreds of people suffocating to death’ moved to tears after Trump downplayed coronavirus,” posted on CNN’s website on October 8, 2020.
I am glad the nurses on the front lines are speaking out. people need to know how deadly this virus can be, and why they should take precautions . It is irresponsible to encourage people not to be careful!
You are one of my heros! I am so proud of all of the nurses all over our country and around the world that have been working endless painstaking hours to try and save people from COVID-19. I cried when I just now watched your video. I am a 67 year old retired nurse and I worked hard, but nothing compared to what you all have been going through as nurses. You are 100% right in being angry about Trump discrediting how serious Covid is. It took my breath away and I immediately felt anger the moment I heard him say that on TV. My heart and prayers have gone out to and will continue to be for all of you health care workers. I keep in contact with my nurse friends that are far younger than me and they tell me about how hard it is to care for patients and watch so many die. Also the sacrifices they have made to keep a distance from their families to keep them safe and how tired and sad they are. Last month our community lost our family doctor to Covid-19. We are devastated. He is one of many in our small town that was taken from us too soon by Covid-19. Thank you for your video because it is the truth and you may have saved many lives by your post. You are one of those good and loving nurses that truly cares about your patients. You are the nurse I would want taking care of me or my loved ones if we were hospitalized. You are a gem of a nurse and don’t ever forget that. Thank you so much for all that you have done and are going to do to help people.