A MAN left fighting for his life in hospital with Covid-19 has spoken of his immense gratitude towards the "amazing" Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI) staff who helped him pull through.

Mohammed Hussain, 51, was struck down with the deadly virus back in March after returning home from Pakistan following the death of his father.

After becoming increasingly unwell, he was rushed to hospital and had to be put on a ventilator.

Mr Hussain and his son Haroon, who is a doctor

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

Mr Hussain, a solicitor from Heaton, said: "I have no recollection, I was in a coma for five weeks. I hung in there and I hung in there - eventually I pulled through."

Mr Hussain's story featured on the BBC Radio Four programme The NHS Front Line earlier this week, where it was revealed 35 people in Bradford have been placed on intubated ventilators and only three have come off so far.

While the father-of-five says there is a chunk of his life he just can't remember, he recalls his will to keep on fighting for survival.

"I do remember saying to myself, whatever is going to happen is going to happen, but I'm not giving up," he said.

"I remember saying 'I'm not quitting'."

Mr Hussain has now praised those who looked after him while in hospital and said of one ICU nurse: "She looked after me like my own daughter would look after me."

He added: "I found it humbling and it gave me a recognition and appreciation of how amazing some of these people are.

"I feel such gratitude, I feel really grateful, I feel humbled. It's restored my confidence in the goodness of human nature, with so many things that are negative.

"There's so many unsung people who are real heroes."

He praised the innovative work going on at the hospital and spoke of one consultant who was designing a new mask to help.

"I just think, wow, what gifted, talented people who are then providing care for people at death's door.So many of these people are not just doing a job, they have been gifted with a quality to really care.

"They will do whatever they can to get you through it."

As Mr Hussain's condition began to improve, he was moved to the stroke ward where he underwent physiotherapy.

He was eventually able to go outside for the first time.

"To feel air on my face and feel the sunshine, I just thought I was in another world, the real world. Seeing my family again, that was just amazing."

And when he was released from hospital on Wednesday, staff lined up in a guard of honour in an emotional marker of the journey he had been on and his remarkable recovery.

He said: "They lined up on each side and clapped me and I clapped them because I wanted to show my appreciation."

And amid the first weekend of the eased lockdown restrictions, Mr Hussain said: "I would reiterate, be as cautious as you can. Stay at home as much as you can, limit your contact. There's a lot of resources trying to find something that's going to help us, we'll all bounce back, but we want everyone to be well and healthy, as many people as possible."

While he has a long journey ahead of him, X-rays and scans have shown he has come through the ordeal with very little long-term damage and when he's back to full health, he would like to do the coast to coast to raise money.