Doctors and nurses stand on hospital roofs to pray for patients during coronavirus crisis

Healthcare workers in the US have been standing on hospital rooftops to pray for their patients during the ongoing struggle with coronavirus.

The Covid-19 pandemic is sweeping across the US, with nearly 250,000 cases of the virus by Friday. Some healthcare workers have spoken of being overwhelmed already.

But many medics are turning to prayer amid growing fears of the impact coronavirus could have on them and their communities.

Healthcare workers were seen in a video standing on the roof of a hospital in Cartersville, Georgia, praying together along with members of the public outside.

Angela Gleaves, a nurse at Vanderbilt Health in Nashville, Tennessee, shared photos of her friends praying on the roof of the hospital.

She said: "We prayed over the staff in our unit as well as all of the hospital employees. We also prayed over the patients and their families during this trying time. We also prayed for all of our colleagues around the world taking care of patients. It felt good to do this with some of my amazing co-workers.

"We could feel God's presence in the wind. Know that you are all covered in prayer."

Meanwhile in Florida's Jackson Health System, emergency room worker Danny Rodriguez shared a photo of his team kneeling in prayer on the hospital helipad.

Mr Rodriguez said: "This is how we started our morning today. Our team said a prayer, asking God for guidance and protection while we are at work, and to keep us and our families safe,"