'Broken' doctors and nurses share bruised faces as they 'beg' people to heed social distancing advice

"Broken" doctors and nurses have been taking to social media and sharing pictures of their bruised faces as they "beg" people to heed social distancing advice.

This comes as the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus has exceeded 339,000, per John Hopkins University, putting a strain on many health systems around the globe as they receive an influx of patients with the highly contagious virus.

This nurse was left in tears after panic buyers stopped her from buying food after her 48-hour shift: 

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Now, one London-based nurse has revealed the effects of the protective equipment she must wear on her face while urging people to obey advice around social distancing and self-isolation so that her hard work isn't for nothing.

Taking to Twitter, Natalie Silvey wrote: "This is the face of someone who just spent 9 hours in personal protective equipment moving critically ill Covid19 patients around London.

"I feel broken - and we are only at the start. I am begging people, please please do social distancing and self-isolation. #covid19"

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"Those red/purple marks across my face are from my mask and are deeper than you think," Silvey continued. "Today I have seen just what covid19 is doing and now I just want to scream at people to listen to us."

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She concluded: "I volunteered to do this. The consultant anaesthetist I was with volunteered. This is bringing out the best of us. Now can the rest of the country please bring out their best and listen! #covid19"

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At the time of writing, Silvey's post has been liked over 22K times and shared over 3K, with many other medial professionals sharing pictures of their struggles in response.

One wrote: "I feel your pain this was me last night on shift as a critical nurse when I went on my lunch hour after wearing a mask and all the gear and do you know what I wouldn't be doing anything else!"

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This man reveals his symptoms of the coronavirus: 

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Another shared a picture of her marked face writing: "Here's mine from yesterday after only 4 hours."

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Last week, an Italian nurse, Alessia Bonari, similarly took to Instagram to reveal how ill-fitting protective gear had damaged her face.

In a post that has been translated from Italian, she wrote: "I'm afraid to go to work. I'm afraid because the mask may not adhere to my face, or I may have accidentally touched myself with dirty gloves.

"I am physically tired because the protective devices are bad, the lab coat makes me sweat and once dressed I can no longer go to the bathroom or drink for six hours.

"I am psychologically tired, as are my colleagues, who have been in the same condition for weeks.

"But this won't prevent us from doing our job as we've always done. I will continue to take care of my patients because I am proud and I love my job."

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She concluded her post by begging people not to make the lives of medical professionals any harder than it already is.

Bonari wrote: "What I ask anyone who is reading this post is not to frustrate the efforts we are making, to be selfless, to stay at home and thus protect those who are most fragile.

"We young people are not immune to coronavirus, we too can get sick … I can't afford the luxury of going back to my quarantined house. I have to go to work and do my part. You do yours, I ask you please."

The news comes as John Hopkins University reports that there have been a total of 339,211 confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally and 15,308 deaths at the time of writing.

However, on a more positive note, yesterday, China began relaxing social distancing measures in Wuhan, where the outbreak began, as the outbreak slows down in the area.