Olympic beach volleyball silver medalist Marcio Araujo said on Saturday that he is battling a severe case of COVID-19 from home after being turned away from overwhelmed hospitals in Brazil's northeastern city of Fortaleza.

Araujo posted a photo of himself on Instagram, wearing a face mask and holding a sign with the words "I will recover, God willing".

"Unfortunately I have been infected with the coronavirus," he said in a brief message accompanying the image.

The 46-year-old told of his ordeal in a conversation with Brazilian volleyball website, Web Volei.

"I'm not very well," he said. "I came home from the hospital because there are no intensive care beds. I'm breathing very badly, hoping to improve."

Xinhua - Agencies