Sheffield Wire has heard from two people who experienced what they believe to be the new strain of ‘super flu’ which has left medical services dealing with high levels of demand.
Sarah Lou, 32, is shown before and after she caught the most recent strain of the flu.
Sarah Lou, pictured above, is a full-time carer, and said she “just had to get on with it” as there were no GP appointments available this week.
She is one of many suffering from the flu virus, which has broken records for infection rates across the country.
Dr David Crichton, Chief Medical Officer at NHS South Yorkshire, has said hospitals in Sheffield are now “under extreme pressure.”
Ms Lou described how she has been doing COVID tests all week and wearing full PPE before walking into people’s homes.
“I’ve had to cancel plans and try the doctors again,” said Ms Lou. “I’ve been coughing up blood.”
Shannon Jones, 28, from Woodhouse in south Sheffield, claimed she was suffering with the “really awful” flu for about a week. She has only just recovered.
Ms Jones said despite the fact that she was “completely knocked [her] off her feet for a week” she avoided seeking medical help because she “didn’t want to bother the doctors.”
She said it started with a persistent cough and eventually led to her losing her voice.
Thanks to the resilient strain, Ms Jones had to miss a concert she had planned for her dad’s birthday.
“I could hear [my lungs] rattling when I was breathing,” she said. “This went on for another week after other symptoms were gone. I had to sleep upright because I could feel the phlegm in my chest.”
