Doctor on Fox News begs red states to brace for virus: 'People are dying because we weren't prepared'

A New York City emergency room doctor who recovered from Ebola said this week that he fears the coronavirus outbreak even more.

Craig Spencer of Columbia University Medical Center confirmed to Fox News that New York hospitals look like a war zone.

"I survived Ebola and I fear COVID, I fear coronavirus," Spencer said. "There are a lot of lessons we learned [from Ebola]... And unfortunately, a lot of those lessons have been forgotten. What I think has happened is it's left us all vulnerable to a pandemic like the coronavirus and what we're seeing on the frontlines, it's dire."

"People, unfortunately, are dying because we weren't prepared," he continued. "And I just want to share the message that we're seeing this here in New York City, I'm seeing it in my hospital, I'm seeing it in all hospitals around New York City, we're not prepared. And I want to make sure that the message gets shared with everyone across the country."

Spencer pointed out that COVID-19 is beginning to climb in other more rural states.

"This is going to roll across the United States and everyone still has more time to prepare than we did," he explained.

The doctor acknowledged that politicians had been giving "mixed messages" about the seriousness of the pandemic.

"This is the story from the frontline," Spencer said. "I'm not a politician, I'm a physician and this is what we're seeing. The empty streets do not reflect the reality here in New York. Time Square may be empty but our emergency rooms and our ICUs are not."

He revealed that his hospital had more ambulances calls than after the 9/11 attacks on New York City.

Fox News host Ed Henry asked Spencer if he sees any "light at the end of the tunnel" as the White House has promised.

"We all want to see that light," Spencer replied. "But what we're seeing right now is the fluorescent lights in the emergency rooms reflecting off the goggles of our colleagues who are tired, who are exhausted. Both physically and mentally."

Watch the video below from Fox News.