A teacher who spent six weeks in hospital with coronavirus has written a 3,000-word account of her experience on the advice of medics who treated her.

Karen Thorp, 51, from St Albans, believes she caught the disease in March while attending choir practice.

She left hospital in May after spending time in intensive care and said writing down what happened had helped her cope.

Ms Thorp, a type 2 diabetic, said her first symptom was "a scratchy throat".

Days later, she fell on to her face on her doorstep and was taken to Watford General Hospital after a neighbour dialled 999.

At one stage a do-not-resuscitate order was placed on her when she was moved into intensive care.

She emerged from sedation three weeks later, by which time she had been transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital.

Now on a phased return to work at a special school, she still has muscle pains, two numb fingers and has had some hair loss.