A MAN who had half of his leg amputated after contracting coronavirus is urging people to take the virus seriously.

Lee Mabbatt, 56, from Northbourne, contracted coronavirus late October and isolated at home for 10 days.

Lee described having the virus as "worse than the flu" as he felt achy all over his body and his food not tasting right.

Near the end of his isolation period, Lee started to feel better until he discovered he had no feeling in his right foot, which eventually led to having his leg below the knee amputated earlier this month.

Lee said: "On the Saturday I had what I call a dead leg, so I phoned 111 the next day who advised me to take painkillers. The pain increased again a few days later so I phoned 111 again and they told me to go to A&E. Tests were done and I had a CT scan which showed a six inch blood clot at the top of my thigh.

"I was operated on immediately to remove the clot.

"After the operation I was in the Royal Bournemouth Hospital for 13 days to see if my blood supply would return. The supply had stopped reaching my ankle and my foot slowly started to die."

Following this, Lee made the decision to have his leg amputated in January.

However, after Lee was sent home from hospital his toes and ball of his foot slowly began to turn black.

Lee returned to the hospital and had his leg amputated on Tuesday, December 15.

He said: "Before I contracted coronavirus, I was perfectly healthy but Covid gave me a six inch blood clot. Luckily, I’m recovering a lot quicker than those who have underlying health conditions.

"I should be walking again with a prosthetic in three months. I just want to walk my dogs and lead a normal life, but it is different now.

"I’m very lucky with what my life is like. I live in a bungalow and I can work from home whilst sitting in a wheelchair.

"It’s not going to affect me as much as it has other people."

Now that Lee is in recovery, he is urging people to abide by the imposed restrictions in order to keep everyone safe.

This includes not holding anti-lockdown protests.

Lee said: "Those who hold these marches think they’re invincible but this could easily happen to them. For these people, it won't be until it affects someone they know that they will realise how serious it is.

"They have family so how would they feel if it happened to them? I gave Covid to my son and I was mortified.

"You’ve got to take it seriously and keep your distance. Medical staff are risking their lives everyday to save ours."