Mother finds out she was one of the first Brits to get coronavirus after suffering a mystery rash

A mother-of-one who suffered mystery rashes for months and thought she would die found out she was one of the people in Britain to contract Covid-19.

Sarah Churchill, 36, suffered incredibly painful rashes on her hands and feet in February, when just 15 people had tested positive for coronavirus. 

Sarah and her doctors she was going to die from blood cancer or HIV and she was scared she would leave her nine-year-old son Noah alone. 

More than three months later, Sarah was told she had contracted Covid-19 at the same time the rashes began to occur. 

Sarah Churchill, 36, from Bournemouth, Dorset, suffered incredibly painful rashes on her hands and feet in February, which was later diagnosed as coronavirus

The rashes on her feet flared up when only 15 people in the UK had tested positive for coronavirus

The rashes on her feet flared up when only 15 people in the UK had tested positive for coronavirus

At first doctors thought she might have blood cancer or even HIV and were left stumped when medical tests showed no ailments

At first doctors thought she might have blood cancer or even HIV and were left stumped when medical tests showed no ailments

Now Sarah wants to warn other Brits who have suffered rashes that they may have unknowingly caught the virus as well.

She said: ‘It was pretty scary being told I might have HIV or blood cancer.

‘I really thought I would die. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster. The silver lining is that I haven’t got a life-threatening condition like blood cancer or hepatitis.

‘But I still don’t know what damage has been done to my body. People could be Covid-19 positive, with no other symptoms, and have no idea.

‘They could be spreading the virus, without knowing they have it.’

Sarah, of Bournemouth, Dorset first felt ill at the end of February weeks before Britain went into lockdown, and only around a dozen Covid-19 cases had been confirmed.

Sarah thought she was going to die and was scared she would leave her nine-year-old son Noah alone

'I look like I had the plague,' says Sarah

Sarah thought she was going to die and was scared she would leave her nine-year-old son Noah alone

 She says she got night sweats, a racing heartbeat and severe shortness of breath. Her GP put it down to the flu and she ‘didn’t think anything else of it’.

However a week later, horrible red marks flared up on her hands, feet and nose. Her doctor was left ‘gazumped’ and said he thought she was immunosuppressed.

He thought Sarah might even have blood cancer or even suffer HIV.

‘I just thought I was going to die,’ shocked Sarah said.

‘It was so unusual I just thought that’s it, my luck is up, I’m going to die of blood cancer.

‘My father died of cancer, and it brought all of the emotion back now.’

The mum-of-one had numerous blood tests, but the doctor was left astonished when the results came back normal.

This was on March 10, and as time went on Sarah’s rashes got more painful. Often she was unable to stand on the balls of her feet, or open drinks bottles.

‘I looked like I had the plague,’ she said.

‘It’s an incredibly painful condition, it’s not pleasant at all. Not even resting my hands or feet helped, it just got worse over time.’

Sarah wants to warn other people who have suffered similar rashes that they may have had coronavirus

Sarah wants to warn other people who have suffered similar rashes that they may have had coronavirus

She had more blood tests and consultations and eventually at the start of June a dermatology specialist told Sarah she had had Covid-19.

He said the lesions were consistent with symptoms experienced by some people who had the killer virus, and her bloodwork was the same.

‘At least my symptoms finally made sense,’ Sarah said.

‘Up until then I just had questions.’

Now Sarah wants to warn others with similar rashes that they may have Covid-19. 

‘It never crossed my mind I might have got coronavirus,’ she said.

‘It’s fascinating and horrible how many different symptoms there are. I never thought I had Covid-19 at all.

‘They haven’t made it an official symptom, so there could be people out there with the coronavirus who have no idea.’

Sarah has now been put on a course of antibiotics, but doctors say they are unsure when the rashes will go.