On Friday, the same day the U.S. recorded its highest-ever single-day increase in COVID-19 cases, Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike fought back tears as she begged people to follow health guidelines. “If you’re talking about COVID fatigue from having to keep wearing a mask, think about the COVID fatigue for health-care workers, respiratory therapists, who are going to have to go through this whole episode again of trying to fight for people’s lives, because we couldn’t figure out how to control this virus by doing some of the simple measures that have been prescribed,” Ezike said, adding that health-care workers are seeing “history repeat itself.” She excused herself for almost 40 seconds and turned around to compose herself. She then apologized and said that running a race is difficult “when you can’t actually see the endpoint.”