Northland man describes what it's like to fight COVID-19

A Northland man has described what it's like to contract COVID-19, saying he had nearly every symptom of the virus.

Joshua Dent has been in strict isolation at his home in the Bay of Islands since he returned from London 10 days ago, where he caught the virus.

He told Newshub it made him feel "extremely fatigued".

"Just extremely lethargic. I managed to tick off every symptom under the COVID-19 umbrella."

Dent says at one point his condition worsened which caused concern.

"I got a little bit worse there in the middle that scared my family a bit and myself,"

Luckily he's on the mend now, saying he feels "much better".

His father has moved into the home to keep him company - from a distance. 

"He's living in his car in the driveway," Dent told Newshub.

"There's a gas cooker in the garage for his meals and a hose for his showers, so we're maintaining that social distancing. But he's here and it's nice to have his support,"

Dent has some advice for people who may catch the virus too.

"It's going to be really tough the first few days and there's a lot of fear. But just fight it, lots of liquid, lots of rest," he said.

"And remember there's a whole country behind you because we all want you to get better." 

New Zealand currently has 205 confirmed cases of COVID-19.