A mum has urged people to stay at home as she battles the “horrendous” symptoms of coronavirus and fears passing it to her six-month old son.
Catherine Cullen, 26, said the virus has left her unable to sleep, struggling to breathe, and with a raging temperature and a sore throat.
She hopes that sharing her horrific experience will encourage people to follow the government’s social distancing rules.
The mum-of-one from Hull is terrified her partner or baby son will catch the virus, which she picked up despite the fact she is healthy and doesn’t drink or smoke.
"I have the virus and I just wanted to say, stay safe, it is horrendous,” she told Hull Live.
"I am struggling to breathe, I am going from freezing cold to boiling hot, my throat is killing me, my temperature is through the roof and I'm coughing up bloody mucus.
"I also want to add that I am young, healthy, non smoker, non drinker, anyone can get it and it is horrible. I also followed the rules, didn't leave the house apart from one shopping trip, I used hand sanitizer and followed all of the rules. We can't be too careful.
"This is real and is serious. Please stay safe and follow the rules, it's not worth the risk. We can't be too careful. I don't know where I got it as I've been so careful.”
The government has urged everybody to stay home, only leaving for food, exercise once a day, or work if jobs can’t be done remotely.
People should stay two metres apart and wash their hands as soon as they get home.
Catherine continued: "Anyone still going out unnecessarily is selfish and it's making me angry that people are doing so. They'll regret it if they get it.
"I would say to them that this is not worth that trip out, it's not worth the visit to meet your friends and it would not be worth giving it to someone vulnerable who couldn't survive it. It's just not. Three weeks is a short time in a lifetime. This thing is no joke."
Although she hasn’t been tested, Catherine says the symptoms are unlike any other illness she's suffered before.
She said: "I've not been tested, apparently they won't test me unless I get hospitalised, hopefully it won't get to that.
"I have all of the symptoms just about. I called 111, they won't do anything until I can't breathe or am really bad, so hopefully this is classed as mild and it'll pass soon. I certainly haven't had anything like it before.
"I'm an asthmatic as well so god knows what's to come."
A total of 120,776 coronavirus tests have taken place in the UK, with 17,089 positive results and 103,687 people testing negative.
1,019 people in the UK have died from the virus.
Of 260 who died yesterday, 13 had no underlying health issues, NHS England said.
Those who died that did not have pre-existing conditions were between the ages of 63 and 99 years of age, the organisation said in a statement yesterday.
The UK’s youngest victim was 18 years old, and the oldest 102 years old, it is understood.
