A teenage nurse treating coronavirus patients for 13 hours a day said she can see the pain "in their eyes" - while her hospital is apparently running out of essential equipment.
Lucy Hutchings, 19, has revealed the toll of fighting Covid-19 on the frontline and giving end-of-life support.
The healthcare assistant said Southampton General Hospital is running dangerously low on personal protective equipment.
Alongside a tearful photo, she posted on Facebook that she is "scared and think it's going to get worse".
With many of the facility's wards, including hers, reserved for virus patients, she said the majority of people she treats are in their late 60s to 90s.
The nurse said "lots of patients need oxygen", adding: "You can see in their eyes that some of them are in pain - they're saying they're fine but they're not fine."
"It's really sad to see people with the virus.
"This is real life and watching people in pain and suffer is devastating.
"I'm scared and think it's going to get worse - it feels like it's only the beginning."
Lucy said she would rather "stay at home and eat food" but can't, and seeing people "go against the rules" and leave their homes is "so stupid and irresponsible".
"Staying home is a privilege," he continued.
"This is real - this is not a joke, everyone needs to take what's being said seriously."
Worried she will pass the deadly virus onto her parents and brother, Lucy has avoided spending any time with them since the outbreak began.
Instead, after work she comes straight home and has a shower then goes to her room.
Her post currently has 145,000 likes, comments and shares.
The daily death toll for the UK dropped for the second day in a row yesterday, with 180 new fatalities recorded overnight.
A total of 1,408 people in Britain have now died from the disease, while more than 22,000 cases have been officially diagnosed.
