First critical patient in Shanghai discharged
The seven recovered patients express their gratitude to medics at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center when being discharged on Tuesday.
Another seven coronavirus patients were discharged upon recovery on Tuesday, including one patient who was in critical condition, said the Shanghai Health Commission.
This is the first recovered critical patient to be released in the city, the commission said.
The patient, a 68-year-old man surnamed Yang from Wuhan, was confirmed with coronavirus infection on January 23. He has lived with his family in Shanghai since last year but returned to Wuhan at the end of 2019 to buy supplies for the Spring Festival.
Yang started to develop cough and fever days after returning to Shanghai on January 9. His condition deteriorated and he was transferred to Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center after being confirmed with infection.
He was in critical condition when arriving at the hospital and received trachea intubation on that day because of shortness of breath, said Dr Hu Bijie, a member of the coronavirus expert team.
Experiencing low blood pressure and shock, Yang was moved to an intensive care unit due to the severity of his condition. Experts provided individualized care for the patient and discussed his case twice per day.
He gradually recovered after regaining consciousness from a 13-day coma.
Yang was hospitalized for 32 days before finally being released on Tuesday. He expressed his gratitude to all the doctors and nurses who helped save his life.
"I was in coma upon arrival (at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center). But when I woke up, the disease's already gone," he said with emotion.
Yang's wife, who didn't return to Wuhan, was also infected with coronavirus. She suffered mild symptoms and was released upon recovery days ago.
"Our family can finally reunite," Yang said.
Doctors said Yang's recovery gave confidence to the entire medical team.
So far, 268 patients have been released with a recovery rate of 80 percent in the city.
As of midnight Monday, Shanghai had reported 335 coronavirus cases.
The 68-year-old man, who was in critical condition due to coronavirus infection, is discharged upon recovery on Tuesday.
