'LOSING BATTLE'
Intensive care nurse says ‘we’re on our knees’ from coronavirus epidemic in tearful plea for people to stay at home
AN exasperated ICU nurse has posted a tearful request to urge all Brits to stay at home and support the NHS as the coronavirus pandemic brings staff to their knees.
Shirley Watts, an operating theatre nurse at Basildon University Hospital in Essex, said she wanted people "to see the reality of what's going on" describing the situation as "desperate" and short staffed.
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Speaking to the camera after finishing a shift, Shirley says: "Things are pretty desperate .... we're all having a really hard time."
She adds: "We're desperately short of staff. Things are really difficult and we're all really struggling."
Fighting back tears, Shirley explains how stretched staff are as they try and stem the tide of coronavirus patients.
She urges: "I'm just saying to you all to stay in. If you stay in and you don't spread it and you don't catch it that takes the pressure off us.
"We're trying to save lives, we're all just doing what we can to save people's loved ones and I want you to see me like this because I want people to realise how serious it is.
Things are pretty desperate .... We're desperately short of staff. Things are really difficult and we're all really struggling.
ICU nurse, Shirley Watts
"If you know anyone that's going out and they don't need to if you see groups of people, I want you to say something to them. I want you say 'you need to stay indoors and you need to stop spreading it, you need to stop catching it'."
A tearful Shirley adds: "We're putting ourselves in danger to save to try and save other people's loved ones.
"It feels like a losing battle, but it's not because we've all got hope and we're all trying to do what we can."
Shirley made the tearful plea after finishing a six hour shift and told viewers she was going home to sleep before returning for another shift tonight.
Posting to Facebook, she wrote: "I thought long and hard about sharing this, but if it makes one person stop and think about going out unnecessarily then I’m happy for you to see me like this ... tired, tearful, sinking but not broken."
Tired, tearful, sinking but not broken.
Shirley Watts
Britain is heading into a third week of lockdown as the coronavirus death toll rises to 4,974 today after 621 more people died.
A total of 48,388 across the UK have now tested positive for coronavirus.
Fewer deaths were announced today than the 708 yesterday or the 684 on Friday.
But the number of new daily infections jumped - as 5,903 more people tested positive in the past 24 hours, compared to 3,735 yesterday.
A 35-year-old was among 29 patients with no underlying health conditions to have died.
In England, the death toll rose to 4,494 after 555 more people died.
NHS England said the patients were between the ages of 33 and 103 years old.
And this weekend's warm weather has seen the public ignoring social distancing rules.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock this morning threatened to ban exercise outside if Brits won't stick to lockdown rules - as he blasted sunbathers for refusing to obey them.
But some were still snapped not practising social distancing as they worked out in parks and cycled in large groups - forcing one London park to shut.
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Yesterday, a five-year-old child became Britain's youngest coronavirus victim.
The young victim is now believed to be the youngest Covid-19 death in Europe after a 12-year-old girl passed away in Belgium earlier this week.
At least eight medics have died fighting the killer bug - including three nurses.
The Sun launched the Who Cares Win appeal to give all NHS frontline staff help they desperately require during this unprecedented crisis - and donations have already passed £100,000.
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