Chris Cuomo honored the heroic efforts of frontline healthcare workers on National Nurses Day with an impassioned plea for people to stay home, stay safe and for the government to help them fight the virus.
Cuomo -- who recently recovered after a lengthy battle with the coronavirus, which his wife and their 14-year-old son also contracted -- used the closing moments of Wednesday's Cuomo Prime Time to celebrate nurses who are putting their lives on the line every day, and said they "deserve" the recognition of the holiday "now more than ever."
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"As Churchill said during World War II, 'Never have so many relied on the efforts of so few,'" Cuomo shared. "You've seen the images of them working overtime in crowded hospitals. Some without enough PPE… Thousands have come here to New York City volunteering to help fight this."
"Thousands of nurses have also paid the price for their efforts, contracting the virus themselves. The CDC says 10 to 20 percent of the infected are health care workers. Many have fallen," he continued, before sharing the stories of a few nurses who have died amid the ongoing outbreak. "The list of victims is far too long to name every single one, but you should keep them in your heart because despite these dangers, heroic nurses put smiles on their faces and uplift patients and one another."
Cuomo explained that, across the country, "There have been celebrations in their honor, with applause, signs, and messages of support on social media from everyone, including celebrities, politicians, sports teams."
"But here's the thing. If you ask them, 'What can we do for you? What can we get you? What do you need?' To a person, no matter where they work across this country, they say the same thing to me: 'Stay home. Please do what you can to keep cases down,'" Cuomo continued. "So my question is, how many of us who say we love them don't really show that love?"
CNN's @ChrisCuomo says the best way to show love and appreciation to our nation's nurses is by doing "what you can to keep [coronavirus] cases down."
— Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) May 7, 2020
"They deserve more than applause. They deserve that we give our best efforts." pic.twitter.com/4tz0k4VaL1
The veteran journalist made his ultimate message very clear as he pleaded with his viewers to "show the love, and do what you can to keep cases down."
"Your choice isn't just about you. You know now that it affects others, including maybe them," he added. "These health care workers, especially nurses today, they deserve more than applause. They deserve that we give our best efforts, that we use our head to craft great policy, that we don't cave to political considerations."
"We know the need is great. The need is great for them, too. They're watching people die on a daily basis from a disease we don't even understand," Cuomo concluded. "Don't they deserve… that we do smart things that show that we value people's lives enough to make moves that will ensure they have a chance to live those lives?"
It was a passionate message from the journalist, who has been very open with his own struggles, both physical and emotional, with COVID-19 since he tested positive last month.
See the video below for more on Cuomo's recent health battle.
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