Dr Mitra Shahidi shares how COVID-19 is affecting Aylesbury Vale and Bucks hospitals

Speaking on the Buckinghamshire NHS Trust Twitter feed, she said:

"Covid is very real. There is nothing fake about Covid.

"This time the hospitals are much busier, patients are much sicker and staff are much, much more tired.

"So everyone is reaching the ends of their reserves

"To hear people say this is a hoax is so demoralising.

"We don't need that.

"We have 100s of patients across the trust, but now 50% are Covid patients.

"We are struggling with Staff numbers because our staff themselves are going down with Covid,

"SO this is very real.

"If we're seeing empty car parks - that's because these people are coming in by ambulance.

"The normal patients we would see for outpatients appointments - we can't see them because we don't have the capacity to take them.

"We've had to postpone and delay many, many operations and outpatients appointments. This is why our car parks are empty.

"It's a horrible illness. Many people don't suffer major problems but the people who end up in hospital are very ill.

"Once they come into hospital, they have a very high mortality.

"People need to follow the lockdown laws to a tee.

"If they are unwell call NHS 111 unless it's a real emergency.

"It's desperately sad watching people fight for their every breath, longing for their relatives, not sure if they will ever see them again.

"It's frightening for them and for us watching them."