Hello, people of Miami.

We are your emergency room doctors, physician assistants, and nurse

practitioners. Most of you have met us, one way or another. We might have cared for you, your
child, your parent, or someone else you love. We are of all races, ethnicities, genders, ages, and
political persuasions. Some of us were born here and others have adopted Miami as our home,
but we are all united in our love for this unique and beautiful city and its diverse population.

We've never written a letter to you before, but we've never experienced a crisis like the one we
are currently facing. We are the people who are witnessing first-hand the impact that COVID-19
is having on people in our community, and we have seen a frighteningly rapid increase in the
number of people with severe and life-threatening respiratory illnesses coming into our
emergency rooms. The low number of confirmed cases in published reports does not show the
true number of people who have been infected by the virus in Miami, or anywhere else in the
USA for that matter. It only reflects that we are far behind where we should be in testing. All of
us expect that if and when COVID-19 testing reaches the appropriate levels, the number of
confirmed cases will explode. What we have seen in the emergency rooms in Miami confirms
what is being reported from other American cities: young and otherwise healthy people are also
becoming severely ill from COVID-19. This is not just a problem for the elderly and chronically-
ill. It is a dangerous threat to all of us.

One of the most insidious aspects of this epidemic is that it draws strength from people's
skepticism and feelings of invulnerability. If people need to personally experience COVID-19 by
having a loved one or close friend infected in order to take this crisis seriously, then it will be too
late and we will suffer the full brunt of this epidemic. The worst-case scenarios indicate that over
a million Americans may eventually die of COVID-19 if we are unable to control its spread. We
have had good fortune not to be the first country to be affected, and we have seen the devastation
the virus can cause in countries where it spirals out of control. We have also seen that social
distancing has been very successful in reducing the spread of the virus and the death rate in many
Asian countries.

Every close interaction between people creates a risk of virus transmission by microscopic
droplets that can travel up to six feet from a carrier's nose and mouth. The virus remains alive on
surfaces for up to three days. It is virtually impossible to avoid being exposed to the virus if one
comes in contact with a carrier. Since many carriers have no symptoms at all, we must avoid all
unnecessary contact with EVERYONE that we are not currently living with. As difficult as it is,
we must learn to live with a minimum of in-person social interactions until the epidemic is under
control. We are all going to have to sacrifice a great deal temporarily for a better future for
ourselves and the most vulnerable among us. The more determinedly we practice social
distancing now, the sooner we can end this epidemic and get back to our normal lives. If we
choose to ignore the danger and try to live the same way as always we risk allowing this
epidemic to overwhelm our health care system the way it has in northern Italy, with thousands of
people dying in hospital hallways without even the comfort of having their families nearby.

We are a large and diverse group of medical professionals. Pretty much the only thing we all see
eye to eye on is that we want our community to stay as healthy as possible, and we want to see as
few people as possible needing our services. We have no other agenda, and absolutely no reason
to mislead you. Please understand and believe that this is the worst health crisis that we who are
currently living have ever faced. We need every last one of you to do his or her part to help us
kick this virus out of Miami, out of America, and off our planet forever. Thank you and please
stay safe and healthy.

Sebastian Abdelnur MD, Baptist Health

Alex A. Agostini-Miranda MD, West Kendall Baptist Hospital
Gregory Alfred MD, Mount Sinai Medical Center and Mercy Hospital
Kirstin Anderson PA-C, University of Miami
Gretter Arnold APRN, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Jonathan Azoulai MD, Jackson Memorial Hospital
Jeannette Barrueta MD, Doctors Hospital and South Miami Hospital
Tanaz Berahman DO, Doctors Hospital and VA Medical Center
Anna Bogdanova PA-C, South Miami Hospital
Isabel Brea MD MPH, Kendall Regional Medical Center
Denise Cabrera MD, Baptist Urgent Care
Armando Clift MD, Jackson Memorial Hospital
Marilyn De Leon DO, Mercy Hospital
Marlene DeLeon-Garcia APRN, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Nicole Irizarry Del Valle, Kendall Regional Medical Center
Julio De Pena Batista MD, West Kendall Baptist Hospital and South Miami Hospital
Elaine Diaz DO, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Leonel Diaz DO, West Kendall Baptist Hospital
Carole Douriez MD, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Sarah Eletto DO, University of Miami
Eva Escatel MD, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Karen Estrine DO, Jackson Memorial Hospital
Jody Alan Feldman MD, Doctors Hospital
Roberto Fernandez DO, Mercy Hospital
Jennifer Silva Figueroa PA-C, Mount Sinai Medical Center
Fausto Henry Fito MD, Baptist Urgent Care
Antony Friedman MD, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Alexander Garcia MD, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Migdalia Garcia-Gonzalez MD, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Victoria Garrett MD, University of Miami and Jackson Memorial Hospital
Poopak Ghassemi MD, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Rachel Gober MD, University of Miami
Ancizar Gonzalez, P.A.-C, Baptist Urgent Care and South Miami Hospital
Jose M. Gonzalez MD, Doctors Hospital
Marisol Gonzalez APRN, Baptist Urgent Care
Jennifer Gutierrez APRN, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Brooke Hensley MD, Jackson Memorial Hospital
Alfredo Hevia MD, Baptist Urgent Care
Jorge Luis Infante MD, West Kendall Baptist Hospital
Vivian Isrow MD, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Alan Itzkowitz DO, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Julie Kanter MD MPH, South Miami Hospital
Rahul S. Karwal MD, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Radha Kotamraju MD, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Danelle Kutner DO, Kendall Regional Medical Center
Jose F Llach DO, Emergency Department Physician
Michael Mai MD, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Diyana Malakoti PA-C, Mount Sinai Medical Center
Aldo Manresa DO, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Andrew Mason MD, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Kelly Medwid MD, Jackson Memorial Hospital
Abdul S. Memon DMSc, MPAS, PA-C, Emergent Physicians of South Florida
Adam Memon DO, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Angelique Morris MSN, Kendall Regional Medical Center
Aniel Navarro-Marin MD, South Miami Hospital and Coral Gables Hospital
Mario Luis Nunez MD, West Kendall Baptist Hospital
Johis Ortega APRN, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Sweha Patel MD, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Tracey Patricoff MD, South Miami Hospital and West Kendall Baptist Hospital
David Pick MD, Urgent Care Physician
Tina Mehrani Plaza PA-C, Kendall Regional Medical Center and Mercy Hospital
Mario Quiros MD, Mount Sinai Medical Center
Victoria Ron MD, Baptist Hospital of Miami and Mt. Sinai Medical Center
Julie Rosselli APRN, Mount Sinai Medical Center
James Sandaal PA-C, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Laura Scheidt MD, University of Miami and Jackson North Medical Center
Svetlana Shurik APRN, South Miami Hospital
Jessica Sue Silversmith MD, Doctors Hospital and Baptist Hospital of Miami
Jean-Paul Otazo Sorondo MD, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Brandon Stein MD, Kendall Regional Medical Center
Dánae W. Sueiro DO, Baptist Hospital of Miami
Tito Suero-Salvador MD, Emergency Department Physician
Maricela Maria Tassy DO, Baptist Hospital of Miami and University of Miami
Nicole Warren DO, Mount Sinai Medical Center and Baptist Hospital of Miami
Philip C. Weimer MD, Baptist Urgent Care
Joshua B. Young MD, South Miami Hospital