WATCH: CNN correspondent bursts into tears while reporting on COVID death toll in California

A CNN correspondent reporting on the death toll from COVID-19 in Los Angeles, California -- where a person is dying every 8 minutes from the deadly virus -- burst into tears on Tuesday morning as she begged the public to stay home and stop infecting frontline workers.

Speaking with host Alisyn Camerota, Sara Sidner reported that the pandemic is hitting communities of color particularly hard.

After showing a clip of health workers detailing what they have to deal with on a daily basis, as well as bereft family members, Sidner returned to talk with host Camerota and promptly burst into tears -- having to pause and ask for forgiveness as she described what it has been like for her to talk to families dealing with the death of their loved ones.

"This is the tenth hospital that I have been -- I'm sorry," she said as she choked up and wiped tears from her eyes.

"This is the tenth -- I apologize. I'm going to try to get through this," Sidner attempted again. "This is the tenth hospital that I have been in, and to see the way that these families have to live after this and the heartache that goes so far and so wide -- it's really hard to take. I'm sorry, Alisyn."

"Sara, no apologies, no apology needed," a distraught Camerota replied. "We've been watching your reporting on the ground throughout this horrific year, and we have all been struck by the grief, the collective grief that all of us are in. And to see these families who are soldiering through it, who are persevering and who are having to have these funerals in parking lots, like the ones that you showed us, it is just a collective trauma that all of us are living through. Sara, we all appreciate the heart that you bring to this every single day as well as your excellent reporting."

"Thanks, it's just not okay," Sidner replied as tears streamed down her face. "It's not okay what we're doing to each other. These families should not be going through this. No family should be going through this. So, please, listen to what this family is saying. Don't let this be you. Do whatever you can to keep this from killing your family members and your neighbors and your friends and your teachers and doctors and firefighters, all of these people are here to help you. But you have to do your part."

Watch below:

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