Disease could rip through Africa, warn aid agencies

LINDA Lusardi was suffering from coronavirus and at “death’s door” yesterday, according to her husband.

The 61-year-old ex-model and Sam Kane were both admitted to hospital with the respiratory illness.

Sam, 51, has urged people to selfisolate to avoid the disease he describes as a “relentless, dark sickness”.

He said: “I can’t stress enough that this is not ‘just a flu bug’. I’ve watched this take my girl to death’s door.

“I’ve felt it take me there. It’s a cruel, vile, remorseless, relentless, dark sickness. It was like three hands. One that’s strangling you. One pushing your face down as it does. The other one ripping

SAM KANE HUSBAND OF FORMER GLAMOUR MODEL LINDA LUSARDI your heart out of your chest and it just doesn’t stop... for days.

“Please stop going out. Passing this around will mean it just takes longer till we’re back to normal.”

Sam had previously updated fans last week about his and his wife’s condition, as he revealed the couple were “stable but very ill”.

Linda previously told fans about her condition on Thursday and said she wouldn’t wish the symptoms of the virus on anyone.

She said: “I want to thank you all for your good wishes. Sam and I have had Covid-19 symptoms and are in isolation so we do not spread it to anyone else. Let me tell you we’ve never felt this ill, EVER!”

AID agencies fear the spread of Covid-19 across Africa could be uncontrolled and catastrophic – as two in five people do not have anywhere to wash their hands at home.

The UN is launching a global humanitarian response tomorrow.

Officials including the UN Secretary General are expected to say that if the world does not come up with a universal plan the crisis could linger for years.

In Liberia – the epicentre of the 2014 Ebola epidemic –97% of the population still has no access to handwashing facilities.

There are now coronavirus cases in 41 of Africa’s 54 countries, around 1,000 in total.

But experts say densely packed city slums and overcrowded refugee camps could allow the virus to spread virtually unchecked.

It’s a cruel, vile, remorseless, relentless dark sickness... strangling you