An Auckland man who apparently deliberately caught COVID-19 and wasn't vaccinated says the virus "floored" him and he regrets his decision.
The man revealed he caught COVID-19 in a Facebook post last week.
"Last day in hospital, just waiting on release… God, I have never missed anyone so much!
"I survived COVID unvaxxed but I just wana say I do not recommend this lil [sic] experiment to anyone," his post said.
The man went on to say, "This did floor me which I did expect but I have also upset people and did put people at risk".
He subsequently apologised for his actions.
"The staff at North Shore Hospital have been amazing and to everyone that has kept me in good spirits thank you love you all," the man said.
There are currently 81 people in hospital with COVID-19, seven of whom are in intensive care.
Data provided by the Ministry of Health shows the current average age of hospitalisations in the Delta outbreak is 51.
Last month, leading Melbourne ICU doctor Daryl Jones spoke to Newshub about what it's like dealing with a surge in COVID-19 patients.
"They are very short of breath when they first come into us - struggling to breathe and needing a lot of oxygen," Prof Jones told national correspondent Patrick Gower.
"These are some of the sickest patients I have seen in 22 years of working in the ICU."
