‘I can’t breathe’: Private hospital reminds public of COVID-19 protocols in viral ad

March 26, 2021 - 10:04 PM
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COVID beds
A health worker fixes at bed at East Avenue Medical Centers’ Center for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Disease in Quezon City on August 17, 2020. (The STAR/Michael Varcas)

A private medical institution juxtaposed photos of healthy individuals with COVID-19 patients in its latest advocacy campaign that urges the public to stay at home and practice minimum health protocols.

On Friday, St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) shared campaign materials that depicted the consequences of COVID-19.

The first post featured two photos of individuals wherein the younger man is wearing a face mask and shield and the elder man wearing an oxygen mask.

Both have the quote: “I can’t breathe.” This line had often been uttered by people who have been opposing the mandatory face mask policy since last year.

The caption read: “Wearing of face mask and face shield is highly recommended to protect you from the COVID-19 virus. A safety reminder from St. Luke’s Medical Center.”

In the second post, there are photos of women lying down, wherein the younger woman is on the sofa and the elder woman is on a hospital bed.

Both have the quote: “I don’t want to be alone.” This line had been uttered by those who wish to hold family gatherings amid the still raging pandemic.

This time, the caption read: “Stay at home and minimize your exposure to the virus. A safety reminder from St. Luke’s Medical Center.”

 

The powerful reminders circulated across social media with the original posts on Facebook earning 20,000 and 5,900 shares, respectively. The “I can’t breathe” ad garnered 13,000 reactions while the “I don’t want to be alone ad” gained 6,400 reactions, as of writing.

They were also shared on the same day the Department of Health logged another record-high 9,838 new COVID-19 infections.

READ: Philippines reports record 9,838 new COVID-19 cases

This breached the 700,000-mark with 702,856 in total. Of these, 109,018 are active cases and 580,689 are recoveries.

The department recorded 13, 149 COVID-19 deaths.

The advocacy campaign wowed online users who found the advertisement relevant and “powerful.”

They likewise called on the public to follow the minimum health and safety protocols.

On Monday, SLMC announced that its COVID-19 ward and ICU units in its Bonifacio Global City and Quezon City branches have reached full capacity.