Smith recovered after treatment with a cocktail of synthetic antibodies developed by the US biotech firm Regeneron. - AFP pic.
LONDON: A 72-year-old British man tested positive for coronavirus for 10 months in what is thought to be the longest recorded case of continuous infection, researchers said on Thursday.
Dave Smith, a retired driving instructor from Bristol in western England, said he tested positive 43 times, was hospitalised seven times and had made plans for his funeral.
"I'd resigned myself, I'd called the family in, made my peace with everybody, said goodbye,", he told BBC
His wife, Linda, who quarantined with him at home, said: "There was a lot of times when we didn't think he was going to pull through. It's been a hell of a year".
Smith recovered after treatment with a cocktail of synthetic antibodies developed by the US biotech firm Regeneron.
This was allowed on compassionate grounds in his case but the treatment regime is not clinically approved for use in Britain.
Results of a clinical trial published this month showed the treatment reduced deaths among severe Covid patients who are unable to mount a strong immune response.
"It's like you've been given your life back", Smith told the BBC.
He and his wife cracked open a bottle of champagne when he finally tested negative, 45 days after receiving the Regeneron drug and some 305 days after his first infection.
Smith's treatment was not part of an official medical trial but his case is now being studied by virologist Andrew Davidson at the University of Bristol.
A paper on his case will be presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases in July, saying that his is thought to be "the longest infection recorded in the literature".
"Where does the virus hide away in the body? How can it stay just persistently infecting people? We don't know that," Davidson said.
Smith had a history of lung disease and had recently recovered from leukaemia when he caught the virus in March 2020.
He told The Guardian daily that since his recovery, he still gets breathless but has travelled in Britain and is teaching his granddaughter to drive.
"I've been down to the bottom and everything's brilliant now," he said. -- AFP.
Saban hari, kes penularan wabak COVID-19 di negara kita semakin merisaukan. Para frontliners juga dilihat masih berusaha untuk mengurangkan rantaian COVID-19. Bukan itu sahaja, mereka juga perlu menguruskan jumlah pesakit yang baru yang baru tiba di pusat kuarantin dan juga di pusat perubatan.
Jururawat dijangkiti COVID-19 daripada pesakit
Betapa besarnya pengorbanan para petugas kesihatan yang perlu menghadapi risiko yang besar sehinggakan boleh meragut nyawa mereka sendiri.
Lebih menyedihkan lagi apabila seorang jururawat telah meninggal dunia akibat COVID-19 selepas dijangkiti daripada salah seorang pesakit di hospital.
Jururawat berkenaan dikenali sebagai Siti Aishah binti Mohd Zamri yang dikatakan sedang sarat mengandung tujuh bulan dan telah dijangkiti COVID-19 dari pesakit di dalam wad.
Aishah dikatakan telah terlantar serta tidak sedarkan diri ketika dirawat di unit rawatan rapi (ICU) di Hospital Labuan.
Ibu dan anak tidak dapat diselamatkan
Namun, ajalnya sudah tiba, dia telah kembali ke rahmatullah bersama-sama bayi yang sedang dikandung pada pukul 10.45 pagi.
Staff nurse Siti Aishah binti Mohd Zamri telah kembali ke rahmahtullah bersama-sama bayi dalam kandungannya pada pukul 10.45 pagi tadi di ICU Hospital Labuan.
Menerusi posting yang telah dimuat naik oleh suami Allahyarhamah di Facebook, dia sempat meminta orang ramai agar mendoakan isterinya serta anak pertama mereka yang masih berada dalam kandungan diberi kesembuhan.
Semoga Allah beri kesembuhan kepada isteri saya dan juga baby kami dalam kandungan. Mohon doa daripada semua untuk isteri saya dan baby kami.
Namun, pada ketika ini status berkenaan dibanjiri dengan upacan takziah daripada warganet yang mengenali dirinya itu.
Artini Dzolkarnaini menghembuskan nafas terakhirnya di Hospital Teknologi Mara (UiTM). - Foto Facebook Fakulti Perubatan Hospital Teknologi Mara (UiTM)
KUALA LUMPUR: Seorang jururawat yang sedang sarat mengandung anak kelima meninggal dunia awal pagi tadi dipercayai akibat komplikasi akibat COVID-19.
Menurut muatnaik di laman Facebook Fakulti Perubatan Hospital Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Artini Dzolkarnaini menghembuskan nafas terakhirnya di Hospital Teknologi Mara (UiTM) pada jam kira-kira 5.30 pagi.
Allahyarham ialah jururawat di Jabatan Perubatan Rehabilitasi Pusat Perubatan UiTM di Sungai Buloh, dekat sini.
Melalui muatnaik itu juga, seluruh warga Fakulti Perubatan UiTM merakamkan ucapan salam takziah buat Allahyarham.
"Kami mendoakan semoga roh Allahyarham ditempatkan dalam kalangan orang yang beriman, ...Amin," menurut kiriman itu.
Difahamkan, Allahyarham yang mengandung 30 minggu dirawat di hospital itu selepas disahkan positif COVID-19.
Berdasarkan muatnaik di laman sosial yang dikongsi antara rakan dan teman sekerja Allahyarham, bayinya selamat dilahirkan secara pembedahan.
Bayinya kini dipercayai ditempatkan di Unit Rawatan Rapi Bayi (NICU) di hospital sama.
Allahyarham yang juga pengarang buku 'Penjagaan dan Pemulihan Jantung' oleh UiTM, akan menyambut hari lahir ke-41 pada 26 Februari ini.
Usaha menemubual keluarga itu belum dapat dibuat setakat ini kerana mereka belum sedia bercakap dengan media.
KUALA LUMPUR: Bekas pemain ragbi kebangsaan, Dr Mazlan Ismail meninggal dunia akibat serangan strok pada jam 12.58 tengah malam tadi, di Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya, di sini.
Allahyarham, 38, merupakan Timbalan Dekan Hal Ehwal Pelajar di Fakulti Sains Sukan dan Rekreasi di Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam, meninggalkan seorang isteri, Azlina Mohd Ariff, 44.
Adik Allahyarham, Muhammad Naimmi Ismail, 31, ketika dihubungi memaklumkan, jenazah abangnya akan dikebumikan di Taiping, Perak selepas solat Asar hari ini.
"Allahyarham telah menerima rawatan di hospital sejak Januari lalu selepas kesihatannya merosot. Pihak hospital juga memberitahu keluarga kami bahawa arwah kena serangan jantung minggu lalu.
