A CORONAVIRUS survivor has spoken out about her battle with the “frighteningly debilitating” virus.

Normally fit and well, Dawn Day said she was told by doctors at Hereford County Hospital that they had nearly lost her after she tested positive for Covid-19.

Ms Day, who travels the country in her job as a lorry driver, does not know where she came in contact with the virus, and initially blamed her tickly throat on hay fever.

But within days, the 62-year-old's symptoms had worsened significantly, and she sought medical care after becoming short of breath.

“It was quite scary at the time, and very unexpected,” she said.

“I have no other medical problems, and I keep myself quite fit and ride my horse regularly.

“I went into hospital on Friday, March 27, at first to the normal ward, where I was tested for coronavirus, and despite being out of breath, I had to wear one of the protective masks when I first went in. Wearing that, I felt like I could not breathe. I really felt for the nurses, who are wearing them all day.

“On Saturday, a nurse came up to me and told me that I had tested positive for Covid-19. I was told to stay away from everyone and was taken to the next ward, where my vital signs were monitored hourly.

“On Sunday, I felt a bit better, and was able to talk to my husband on the phone. But then on Monday I went badly downhill. I cannot really remember much of it except that I felt awful and slept and slept.

“I woke up a bit more on Wednesday, and the doctor told me that they had very nearly lost me. The next stage would have been ITU.

“They had changed my medication, but they said that there was no way of knowing whether that had changed my situation.

“It was just awful. There were young people in there as well as older ones, and the lady next to me died while I lay in my bed. I could not understand how people were not taking this seriously.

“Everyone in there was given Tena pads, because you’re coughing so much that you can’t control your body or get to the bathroom, and trying to breathe, it felt like I had a pillow over my face and a person sitting on my chest.

“After I was over the worst of it, just trying to pick up my bag from the floor beside my bed to go to the bathroom left me so out of breath that I had to sit down for five minutes before even attempting the walk. It’s so frighteningly debilitating; it’s horrible. People need to really know how bad it is.”

Ms Day, of Old Road, Bromyard, said she had nothing but praise for the staff who had nursed her through her illness.

“The nurses were excellent, they are really trying their best,” she said.

“Every time they came in to our bay, they had to wash their hands and put on their gowns, gloves and masks. If they forgot something, they had to go through the whole process again to get it. They all had such sore hands from all the washing.”

Precautions even ran to mealtimes, with food served in disposable cardboard boxes. She was discharged on April 3.

“I was still quite weak and poorly. Even going to the toilet was leaving me out of breath,” she said.

Since getting home, she said she has been recovering well, although she still gets quite tired.

But she has been horrified to see that some do not seem to be taking the virus risk seriously, and fears for her own health after her doctors could not say whether or not she could catch the virus again.

“I have been to the Co-op in town, but when I saw how some people are taking no notice of the signs in the shop I just wanted to scream: Do you know how bad this is?’”