A SURVIVOR of coronavirus who ended up in an intensive care unit, kept awake as he feared the worst, has told of the battle for his life.

As a nurse at the Wye Valley NHS Trust, Keith Jones is normally fit and well helping others with their illness, but after contracting Covid-19 his life was in the hands of his NHS colleagues.

The 59-year-old, who lives in Pontrilas, said he was not being over the top when he said the doctors and nurses on the intensive care unit at Hereford County Hospital saved his life.

After first showing symptoms it was 10 days before he had to be taken to hospital due to low oxygen levels.

"I was profoundly weak and unwell and then by the time you get to ICU (intensive care unit) I was frightened, I've done this (be a nurse) for 40 years and I was frightened," he said.

"I was told that if the breathing mask, it's called CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure), didn't work and I had be on a ventilator then it's a 50/50 chance. I was well aware of the risks and Sunday night was the worst.

"I kept waking up every 10 minutes thinking what would happen if I did die, the psychological impact is quite profound."

Mr Jones, who has been working at Ross Community Hospital for the last two years, could not fault the care he received, admitting it's hard for fellow healthcare workers when there is currently no cure and it relies on the body being strong enough to fight the virus.

Intensive care units have one nurse to one patient, and even though a number of other people in the unit were unconscious with ventilators controlling their breathing, the care and compassion showed was still "exceptional".

"I want to reassure people who have got family members in hospital because I've got a quite unique perspective as I'm a nurse myself," he added.

"I was in the intensive care unit and I was one of the few patients in there who was conscious so I could see the staff at work.

"When it comes to a machine, you can train a monkey to manage the machine, but you can't teach a machine compassion or the real care they (the nurses) gave those people."

He added: "I never imagined the job I love could come close to killing me, but I never felt alone. The care I, and every patient, saw was exemplary."

After a further week in hospital, but out of intensive care, Mr Jones now faces a long road to recovery. He was told it could be three months before he fully recovers.

"I'm getting a bit better each day, but I've still got quite low-levels of energy," he said.

"I was warned about that that it might be eight to 12 weeks before I'm back up to normal. I've been a nurse for 40 years so being on the other side of the bed was strange."