A new photo of COVID-19 patients lying on the floor at a COVID-19 clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, has a lesson for everyone right now — the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t gone away.
The photo — which was originally posted on Reddit — quickly went viral because it shows a Florida woman, dressed in yellow, kneeling on the floor and moaning in pain.
Louie Lopez took the photo when he went to the Jacksonville Main Library Conference Center Wednesday for a Regeneron therapy appointment, according to The Florida Times-Union.
Lopez, who is fully vaccinated, recently tested positive for COVID-19. But he has been experiencing symptoms, so his doctor recommended Regeneron therapy, which is an antibody cocktail that is meant to stop the coronavirus from being drug-resistant, according to the Dallas Morning News.
His wife, Suzanne Lopez, posted the photo on Reddit.
“Everyone please be careful - whether you are vaccinated or not. My husband (vaccinated, but positive) has been waiting 2+ hours for monoclonal therapy and he says he has never seen people so sick. Moaning, crying, unable to move,” she wrote about the photo.
Louie Lopez told The Florida Times-Union that the woman in the photo was likely lying on the ground for an hour. The staff tried to help her, but it seemed like “everything was new” to the staff workers.
Outrage erupted on social media about the photo. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been the target of much of the backlash, according to RawStory.
The city of Jacksonville has responded to the photo, too, saying the woman was waiting for the treatment to fight off her severe COVID-19, according to First Coast News.
“This treatment is meant to keep people OUT of the hospital and is designed for those early on in their COVID-19 diagnosis or for those who believe they have been exposed to COVID,” the city said. “Individuals with severe symptoms should contact a medical professional for guidance on the proper treatment for their situation.”