'Doomed': Mum shares Covid-19 horror on TikTok after 'scary' turn

A Sydney woman whose family is battling Covid has given a grim insight into the realities of the virus.

She has recalled the traumatic moment her partner was rushed to hospital late at night and the helplessness of not being able to protect her children from contracting coronavirus.

Describing the rapid progression of the virus as "scary" and a "steep rollercoaster ride", mum of three Ebony Robertson said partner Scott's condition deteriorated very quickly, with him being hospitalised just hours after he initially exhibited symptoms.

An ambulance was phoned at 10.28pm on Wednesday night, but Scott was not admitted to emergency until 3am as the health system in western Sydney struggles to cope with the demand.

"He was actually feeling okay during the day, he was even working from home," Ms Robertson told Yahoo News Australia on Friday.

"At about seven o'clock at night, he wasn't feeling so great. At about 10pm he came out of the room, and he was really dazed [and] quite confused."

Ms Robertson said they knew they needed to call an ambulance when he woke up, not being able to breathe after dropping in and out of sleep and feeling like the room was spinning.

"The condition changes so quickly, [then the next day] you're like, I'm gonna get better. This is gonna be okay," she said.

"[Then] a couple of hours later, you're not okay. It's just a really, really steep rollercoaster ride."

The kids were 'doomed'

Ms Robertson's family was initially exposed to Covid through her 16-month-old son who came into contact with it at daycare.

She, Scott, her 15-year-old son and her 16-month-old all tested positive at the beginning of the week. Her six-year-old is still returning negative tests, but is showing symptoms.

"When the six-year-old tested negative, your first instinct as a parent is [to] get him away from this so he's safe, but he can't, he has to stay in the house," she said.

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"It's almost like he's doomed. You can't remove him from it.

"Getting that confirmation [of a positive result] was like, just like your whole stomach just sinks.

"We had already accepted, you know, we're all gonna get it. And that's the situation."

Health systems are overwhelmed

Ms Robertson said the health system was overwhelmed, saying they waited for almost two hours for an ambulance after her initial call.

"Triple zero had called us back to make sure that his condition hadn't worsened, and to explain ... everything would just be incredibly busy, and they were getting to us as soon as they possibly can,"

When the ambulance picked Scott up, they initially took him to Westmead Hospital, which was at capacity, before going to Concord. There, he waited out the front for an hour and a half in the ambulance and was eventually taken into emergency at 3am.

"He's coming home today. He's having some pretty severe coughing fits, which is leaving him really breathless but he has been seen by a few doctors now, and there's just nothing that they can do with Covid, there's no treatment other than oxygen.

"And when he's not coughing, his oxygen levels are okay. So he's well enough to be at home."

'Vaccination is everything'

Ms Robertson — who had received both jabs — urged Australians to get vaccinated, using herself and her partner, who has received one dose, as a prime example of the difference it makes.

"[I] just want everyone to kind of know the severity and seriousness of [the] disease," she said.

"[If] I wasn't fully vaccinated... I really don't know where our family would be right now.

'And how I feel — like the breathlessness, I'm only three days in. So vaccination is everything.

"It's what's going to stop you from going to the hospital."

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