A man battling Covid-19 says he "wouldn't wish coronavirus symptoms on his enemy" as they "come in waves".
Speaking slowly through laboured breath, Andy Hardwick explains how contracting the coronavirus has seriously affected his health.
"I'm 51, normally fit, down the gym three times a week at least," he explains, pushing the words out while clearly struggling to fill his lungs.
"I have asthma occasionally and take a preventative pump.
"It starts with a cough, a very dry cough, and if you're like me, it makes your throat feel sore.
"You start to feel generally crappy, and then you'll find your lungs will tighten.
"I didn't have a fever at this stage. I went to bed thinking it would pass."
It did not pass however, and Andy woke up several hours later struggling to breathe, with a temperature but feeling he couldn't get warm.
"I had a raging thirst," the 51-year-old said.
"My spine hurts. My back hurts. My neck hurts.
"You don't want to talk. You get shortness of breath if you move around. You don't want to lift your head off the pillow.
"It does come in waves. You will feel a slight relief sometimes and then it will go."
Andy, from Wickford in Essex, tried to find something to alleviate this discomfort.
"Paracetamol will drop your temperature," the dad said.
"I think that the asthma pump doesn't help too much.
"If you get the cough, it's fairly painful, and if you feel the need to laugh, don't, because it is very painful.
"This really hurts. It's not like anything I've had before. I wouldn't wish it on my enemy.
"Please, stay away from each other, respect each other. If you're parents or grandparents get this, and they've a vulnerability or they're not fit, I hate to think what it would do to them.
"They will become a statistic. Be safe, take care."
