coronavirus
File photo: Coronavirus treatment centre

A doctor on the frontline battling the coronavirus has posted a heartbreaking message to her young children in case she dies from the killer bug.

New York doctor Cornelia Griggs shared a picture of her wearing makeshift PPE gear to Twitter and said that her children would not recognize her.

She then wrote that that if her children lose her to COVID-19, she would want them to know that she tried really hard to do her job.

She tweeted: “My babies are too young to read this now. And they’d barely recognize me in my gear. But if they lose me to COVID I want them to know Mommy tried really hard to do her job.”

She used the hashtag #GetMePPE at the end of the tweet to highlight the urgent need for proper protective clothing for medical staff dealing with patients.

The post has now gone viral with 92,000 retweets and 474,000 likes.

People have hailed the doctor as a hero for saving lives as America’s death rate stood at at least 2,425 on Sunday night with more than 139,000 cases.

One user wrote: “This has me in tears. You are a hero. Every day you show up, despite the danger, the fear, the exhaustion, you are a damn hero”, wrote a user.

“Thank you for your service”, wrote another.

“Thank you for all you are doing. Your babies have a brave and talented mommy”, tweeted another.

Others added: “You’re a hero!!! God bless you for what you do!!!”

“Cornelia, we don’t know one another, but I want to thank you for all you do to save people’s lives. I love you and I’ll be praying for you.”

“Your post choked me up. God bless you and protect you. I hope you receive the PPEs needed. Thank you for your work. Your children will be proud of you and may you live a long life and feel it! Thank you!