A Covid-19 patient in the Philippines who had severe symptoms survived and stayed optimistic by dancing and doing exercise routines alone in his hospital room.

Jessie Sibulo, 38, was admitted to hospital in Cebu City last month when he started to suffer with headaches and exhaustion.

Medics put him in an isolation room and he was later diagnosed with Covid-19 on July 21. However, he stayed strong during the difficult time by dancing and exercising alone - sending the videos to his family to reassure them he was healthy.

Jessie said: "I had pneumonia and took medicine for five days. But I still did not get well after that. On my follow-up visit with the doctor, I was found to be Covid-19 positive.

''They didn't know where it started, or where I might have contracted it."

Jessie said he had a severe cough and had trouble breathing, but inspiring words from friends and family made him emotionally stronger.

His family live in Manila, hundreds of miles away from the hospital where he was, so taking videos and chatting is the only way he could communicate with them.

Jessie added: "I started doing the exercise routines and sent it to my family to let them know that I was doing well."

The Covid-19 survivor said that the dancing helped a lot because he can forget about being sick for a while and stay healthy.

He said: "I have talked to many patients like me who seem to have lost hope. So I always tell them that there is a God who is always there, but we must also help ourselves just like having a positive outlook."

The country's total Covid-19 cases have surged to almost 150,000 as of August 13, ranking 22nd in the world and 1st in Southeast Asia.