A DAD has miraculously returned home after beating Covid despite being given a 20 per cent chance of survival - sparking an emotional warning from his family.

Richard Hallett, from Basildon, spent four days in a coma, was under sedation for 18 days, spent 24 days on a ventilator and was tube fed for three weeks after catching the virus.

All despite having no underlying health conditions.

The 63-year-old, who has lost three-and-a half stone since his journey began, was even forced to use his eyes to signal yes and no, due to being unable to speak or move after the coma.

Mr Hallett - who owns R&R Carpets in Pitsea - has even had to learn to walk, talk and do things as simple as use his phone again after the ordeal.

Echo:

His daughter Lucy is now reminding rule flouters to start taking the virus seriously, after not only her dad but her whole family have had Covid - some even twice.

The 32 year-old said: “Dad had every single symptom. Christmas Eve he literally turned blue in his lips and nails, and was hallucinating really badly. For some reason he kept seeing flies.

“We rang 111, but within ten minutes he couldn’t even string a sentence together and was struggling to breathe.

“His oxygen was at 60 per cent and the paramedics said they’d never seen anyone still talking at that level. We knew then dad was going to be strong.

“He went into Basildon Hospital and around 2am he was put on oxygen and taken to ICU.”

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Boxing Day morning the family had a call to say Richard had 20 per cent chance of survival, unable to even go and say their goodbyes.

Thankfully, despite a rollercoaster journey with his health Richard pulled through, and he was transferred to Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.

The next time the family were able to speak to him was January 12-  but Lucy says he wasn’t how she remembered him back in December.

She continued: “He’d had a tracheostomy by then, which is where they place a tube through the neck, so he couldn’t really speak.

“They also did proning four times, which involved putting him on his front to help him breathe.”

Echo:

Thankfully, Richard returned home on Tuesday.

Lucy added: “They were happy to send him home if he could walk a bit on his own, but he’s got to learn to do everything again.”