'Brutal and relentless' - Ayrshire MSP Brian Whittle's experience of coronavirus symptoms
Listen as the Conservative MSP reveals how he was "floored" by the illness.
Last updated 3rd Apr 2020
An Ayrshire politician is self-isolating with symptoms of coronavirus.
Conservative MSP Brian Whittle began to feel unwell on Wednesday 25th of March with a cough and a temperature. But his condition got worse to the point where he couldn’t sleep, eat or swallow and describes his ache as the worst pain he’d ever felt.
The former athlete added, “While the majority of people who contract the virus won’t need hospital treatment, that doesn’t mean the symptoms won’t hit you hard. Some people have very mild symptoms, some people have no symptoms at all, but some people will be absolutely floored by it and there’s no way to predict how it’s going to affect you or the people you care about.
“The best way to beat COVID-19, is to not get it in the first place. That’s why we’re all social distancing and why older and more vulnerable people should be isolating themselves as much as possible.
“I know this is a big challenge; we’re being asked to stop doing basic, everyday things like going out for a coffee or meeting friends and family; but every trip you avoid helps us protect the NHS and save lives. We’ve already seen evidence that social distancing is helping to control the spread of COVID-19 so we need to keep it up”