A Covid nurse has begged US families not to see each other over Christmas as hospitals reach "breaking point".
Molly-Elizabeth Francis, originally from Dublin, Ireland, admitted to crying at work for the first time since beginning nursing a year ago with admissions now as bad as in March.
It comes as experts branded the current situation a "natural disaster" after the US recorded more cases in November alone than most other countries all year.
And public health experts are predicting record-breaking numbers in December with millions of Americans having ignored advice not to travel over Thanksgiving weekend.
Makeshift treatment units are being quickly set up with several states' hospitals at full capacity, and in New York retired doctors and nurses are being drafted in.
Cardiac nurse Molly - who is treating critically ill virus patients at St Peter's Hospital in Albany, New York - shared a selfie of the red marks on her face from PPE after a traumatic shift.
In a desperate plea on Facebook, she wrote: "As I got to the unit, you could feel a shift in the energy that I have not felt for a few months now.
"I grabbed my PPE, found my assignment and without hesitation the charge nurse saw me and said your patient in room ** is dying. Just like that.
"These nurses see this every day and Covid has normalized this for some. I had such a pit in my stomach knowing that out of my five patients one could die with just me by their side that night.
"These patients are scared. As a nurse, there is no worse feeling than feeling hopeless when you have done all you can do and have your patient tell you all they want now is for it to be over so they can go home.
"After an extremely long night, I went to the bathroom and cried for the first time in my year of nursing.
"I cried because I know so many people that are no longer taking masking and social distancing seriously.
"I cried because this illness is affecting those of all age groups. I cried because Covid isn’t just getting worse, it already is worse.
"We are seeing a spike in cases now just as bad as we did in March."
Molly urged people to social distance and refrain from seeing family over Christmas.
She wrote: "The people were applauding healthcare workers a few months ago and now I see those same people saying it’s okay to get together in groups for the holidays.
"I know it isn’t easy not seeing your family and loved ones especially this time of year, but I can assure you it won’t be any easier from a hospital room with very little other human contact.
"On behalf of healthcare workers, we can’t fight this alone. We need our communities to come together and put the greater good first.
"We are your nurses. We are fighting but we are tired. Please do your part and we will do ours."
Her post was shared more than 46,000 times and prompted a wave of support.
On Tuesday, coronavirus patients in US hospitals hit record highs of over 96,000, with all but nine states seeing a rise.
Yesterday the number of Covid patients in US hospitals hit a record high of 96,039, with admissions up in 41 states.
The US now has 13.5 million confirmed cases, and 268,000 deaths.
Top US infectious disease doctor Anthony Fauci earlier this week warned another surge is due after Americans flooded airports over the weekend to visit family.
He told ABC News' This Week programme on Sunday: "We may see a surge upon a surge.
"We don't want to frighten people, but that's just the reality."
Emergency medicine physician Dr Megan Ranney said: "There’s no way that the hospitals can be fully prepared for what we’re currently facing.
"This is like a natural disaster occurring in all 50 states at the same time."