'Stop stockpiling and stay home' pleads coronavirus patient

A woman currently in hospital with suspected coronavirus has urged the public not to panic buy and to stay at home to avoid spreading the disease further.

Delia Colwill, from Berkshire, was taken into hospital on Tuesday, six days after she first began showing symptoms of the coronavirus.

The 47-year-old suffers from a spinal cord injury that affects her nervous system and has chronic pain. She said the virus has "absolutely knocked me sideways".

She has been repeatedly tested for the virus and received mixed results with one positive and one negative.

She has pleaded with members of the public to avoid stockpiling medicine, including paracetamol, and to avoid social contact.

Her symptoms have varied, from "horrific head pain and sinus pain that feels like my brain is exploding out of my skull" to blackout headaches and intense sweats. She has also suffered from a loss of appetite and sense of taste.>She has now been in the hospital for five days and said staff looking after her are exhausted by the influx of new patients.

However, she said she is struggling to feel better, continuing to feel "weak beyond exhaustion".>But she praised the NHS staff looking after her, adding: