Interior shots of COVID-19 ward in UK hospital

The UK's National Health Service continues to grapple with the new coronavirus outbreak after the number of national cases rose past 50,000 on Monday.

British broadcaster ITV News filmed for the first time at a hospital in Dorset treating critically ill COVID-19 patients.

Alan Hunt had been at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital for eight days before being interviewed on Monday.

Hunt said he was "feeling a lot better" after his time in intensive care but was still "getting out of breath by doing anything at all".

Nurse Ami Curtis suffers from asthma but was putting her fears for her own safety aside to treat her patients.

The UK currently has 52,260 confirmed cases of the virus, and have reported 5,383 deaths.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

The vast majority of people recover.