Introduction: rnIt has been seven and half months since the first Novel Corona Virus case was reported in Ethiopia. The rnnumber of infected people has been rapidly expanding globally and nationally. In Ethiopia, as of Octoberrn26, 2020, it has reached to 93,343 infected and 1,426 deaths. There are few studies that have explored thernlived experiences of previous epidemic outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases including Ebola, Severernacute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Influenza A (H1N1) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).rnExcept one Study from China, there is a dearth of research on the psychological experience of COVID-19rnhospitalized patients and there is no such study conducted in Ethiopia. rnObjective rnTo explore and describe the psychological experience and the coping and resilience of COVID-19rnhospitalized patients in Eka Kotebe hospital Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. rnMethod rnA phenomenological qualitative study design was used. Participants were recruited using non-rnprobabilistic heterogeneous purposive sampling technique from the hospital referred above. Participantsrnwere those who are confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection, consented to take part, speak Amharicrnlanguage fluently and on stable medical condition. Sampling proceeded until theoretical saturation wasrnachieved. Eleven in-depth telephone interviews were conducted and seven were included in the results.rnThe in-depth interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and translated into English. Thematic analysisrnwas used to identify key themes. rnResults rnThere major themes were identified describing the initial emotional reaction, daily life in hospital andrnstressors as well as resilience and ways of coping. Initial response towards the disease included fright,rndenial and anger during the early stages, which dissolved into acceptance in the later stages and mix ofrnpositive and negative emotions towards the end of hospitalization. The primary sources of stress were therninadequacy of information about the disease, health and economical stability of family, concern aboutrnlong term sequela of the disease and stigma. Despite these, all the study subjects displayed strongrnresilience and coping mechanisms whereby they engaged themselves in some form of coping mechanismsrnwhich included taking advantage of the social support by engaging themselves in group and pairrnconversations and practicing spiritual rituals together. Different contributing factors were considered forrntheir resilience which encompasses the role of having a cognitive capability to understanding the disease,rnlessons learned from wisdom of their role models in life or adverse experiences during early life and mostrnimportantly having a faith. rnFinally, most participants expressed the moral lessons gained from their experience with COVID- 19 andrnreflected on their positive outlooks. rnConclusion The COVID-19 pandemic has caused emotional distress among the patients. The findings inrnthis study also have some unique elements of the perceived stressors and coping strategies. The mainrnfeatures centered upon the stigma and discrimination, safety of family, economic stability, role of culture,rnreligious believe and ritual practices. These results promote understanding of the language and behaviorrnof patients, enhance communication, inspire to denote interventions targets and pave the way for futurernresearches studying the long-term psychological experience from COVID-19.