Man, 23, With Coronavirus Shares TikTok Videos From Hospital To Warn Others

A 23-year-old man with coronavirus is sharing TikTok videos from his hospital bed to warn people about the importance of following safety measures. You can see his latest updates below:

Karim Salmen was born with a pulmonary condition called bronchiolitis obliterans, which causes inflammation in the lung's smallest airways, and also has pectus excavatum, which means his breastbone is sunken into his chest.

As such, he was quarantining due to his vulnerability, but on 9 July he fell ill and was struggling to breathe, and a few days later he tested positive for Covid-19.

Speaking to BuzzFeed, he said: "I threw up all night, and at times I felt like I couldn't breathe.

"I believe someone close to me exposed me to the virus, but I am not sure. I haven't left my house. I have been under quarantine for four months.

"Some of the symptoms I have been experiencing are shortness of breath, coughing, dizziness, loss of appetite, and vomiting on the first day. Thankfully, I am not on a ventilator. However, I am receiving an oxygen supply."

Due to visitor restrictions, none of Karim's friends and family have been able to see him in hospital, however, Karim has instead decided to use his time by sharing TikTok videos from his bed to raise awareness.

He said: "It's always hard to see someone you love in this position, so they are frustrated that they can only sit down and watch.

"My doctors feel confident that I will make a full recovery. They are very nice and give me a lot of hope.

"I decided to document this journey to spread awareness, as well as for everyone to see that this virus is not a joke. The only way to fight it is if we follow guidelines... It really only takes one infected person to spread it to a lot of other people."

You can follow Karim's progress on his TikTok channel.

Topics: Viral, Coronavirus, tiktok

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey