A mum has issued a harrowing plea while recovering from coronavirus in intensive care after the virus “floored” her on Christmas Day.
Doctors told Allie Sherlock that had she not been put on a ventilator at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, she would have died.
During her hospital admission, Allie has seen two Covid patients die in beds either side of her.
She has now begged people to follow Government advice, by staying home.
Her entire family – including her sons aged six and eight, her 70-year-old mother and husband with asthma, have all tested positive for Covid.
Before falling ill with the virus, Allie said she had been healthy with a young family, just getting on with her life, reports Gloucestershire Live.
During a moving video, shot from her hospital bed by Dr David Windsor, the lead for Critical Care at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, she said: “It’s been horrendous. My whole family have tested positive.
“I’ve been very, very unwell. This is very real, this is happening.”
She added: “This has completely floored me. I was told just two days ago that if they didn’t put me on a ventilator, I would die.”
Last week, a woman was arrested after filming the Gloucestershire hospital claiming it was empty.
When quizzed on what she would say to Covid deniers, Allie said: “Don’t be fooled, this is happening and this is serious.
“The NHS will not be able to cope if people do not take this seriously.
“This is so important, keep your distance, stay at home, protect your loved ones.
“Please, please follow the rules. This is not propaganda by the Government, this is happening to everyday people.
“I have seen two people die in beds either side of me while I’ve been in this hospital, and not elderly people either. People with families, children.”
Throughout her two-week hospital admission, Allie has been hooked up to feeding and breathing tubes, and also has to wear a “suction mask” to help her lungs.
There have been more than 22,000 patients admitted to hospital with Covid in the last week, an increase of nearly 40%.
Yesterday, 1,162 new Covid deaths in the UK were recorded – the second largest figure recorded over the course of the pandemic.
Dr Windsor, who shot the footage from inside the ITU ward, admitted staff were finding it hard going, his team work in full PEE with the sickest 5% of patients in the entire hospital.
He said: “Right from the front door it is busier than it has been for long time, the same for the wards and the same for us in critical care. It is really hard, it is really tough not least because this has been going on for nearly a year. This current surge is 14-15 weeks.
“Everyone is pretty tired and it is getting really difficult to pick people up and come in and do the same again. We can see community numbers rising and that is a real concern for us. “