A LEADING nurse at Southend Hospital has urged people to stay home as difficulties continue with Covid patients.

Lisa Ward, lead respiratory nurse at the hospital, urged people to stay away from anyone they don't live with.

He pleas come as Southend Hospital said it was experiencing "high demand" for oxygen due to the number of Covid-19 patients.

Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty has warned that the UK faces "the worst weeks of the pandemic" as cases have continued to surge.

In a plea on her social media page, Ms Ward said: "Please please people - do not potter when you are out - support each other to stay away from anyone not living with you - exercise away from others - try not to stop to talk - nod politely smile and walk on.

"Give each other space in the shops. Wait a couple of weeks to buy hardware etc."

Ms Ward has said the hospital staff need people's help in controlling the virus, and has given advice to people to navigate the latest lockdown: 

  • Stay indoors
  • Don’t mix with anyone you don’t live with
  • If you must go out , wear a mask over nose and mouth - don’t stop and chat - queue two meters apart 
  • Give others space in shops.
  • Wash hands regularly for 20 seconds

Ms Ward added: "The virus cannot live if it cannot spread for human to human. It dies in our bodies as we kill it.

"It does take a couple of weeks to fight it off. Most of us do that easily without knowing we have it.

"Very few of us need hospital but when we do we are ill for a long time and sadly a few people do nit recover.

"So fight this virus off- stop it in in tracks- don’t allow it to spread to there.

"Act as though you have it. Act as though everyone else has it.

"Be kind and eat well, keep hydrated, check in by phone, video call on others. And most of all be kind and ignore the fakers."