A pregnant woman from Grays has given a stark warning from her hospital bed that if you go outside you risk killing a family member.

In a video posted on social media, 39-year-old Karen Mannering fights back tears as she says she has been diagnosed with coronavirus and urges people to listen to government advice and stay home.

From her hospital bed the mother of three says she is more than six months pregnant with her fourth child and has been ill for two weeks.

How the virus will affect her baby, she says she does not know.

“I am 39 years old and I am more than six months pregnant with my baby,” she said in the video posted to Facebook on Wednesday.

“I have just been told I have Covid-19 and I have been ill for two weeks. I have been in hospital since Saturday and today is Wednesday.

“I have pneumonia on both lungs and I am fighting for me and my baby. It is not worth going out, you’d think you wouldn’t, you can get out another time.

“I have three kids at home and a husband who I can’t see.

“I don’t know where I’ve caught it from, but I am very ill and I am telling you now, if you are going to meet your friends for a stupid beer or going for a walk because the weather is nice, you are going to take this home and you are going to kill someone – one of your family members.

“Stop going out, listen to Boris and just don’t go out, it is not worth it.”

Her warning, which has been shared more than 10,000 times, comes as Essex County Council has written to all residents in the county to tell them to stay inside.

The letter from county council leader, Councillor David Finch, and director of Public Health Dr Mike Gogarty states: “The single most important action we can all take, in fighting coronavirus, is to stay at home in order to protect the NHS and save lives.

“When we reduce our day-to-day contact with other people, we will reduce the spread of the infection.”

It goes on to explain the only reason to leave your home is to shop for food and essentials, to exercise, for medical care or to travel to work if absolutely necessary.

There are now more than 100 cases of coronavirus across Essex and on Thursday it was confirmed that a patient in Southend had passed away as a direct result of the virus.