COVID-19: British couple recover, return to UK

April 14, 2020 | 09:33

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A British patient of the coronavirus was discharged from hospital in Hanoi on the evening of 13 after recovery and boarded a flight to the UK with his wife who was also a COVID-19 patient.

covid 19 british couple recover return to uk

The British couple were overjoyed knowing that they had survived the coronavirus in Vietnam (Photo: The Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi)

Dixong John Garth, 74, and his wife, Shan Coralie Barker, 67, were diagnosed with the deadly SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 disease after flying the VN54 flight to Vietnam from the UK on March 2.

Unlike Barker, who was released from hospital on April 2, Garth did not respond well to treatment at Hanoi-based Hospital of Tropical Diseases. Having suffered from acute leukemia for 10 years made his condition worsen, forcing leading doctors to closely monitor his health and continuously change treatment therapy.

After more than 10 days in the intensive care unit, he stopped using a ventilator, enabling him to communicate with doctors.

The patient tested negative for the virus on April 14, and this was the fourth consecutive time his test results had come back negative.

Barker was filled with happiness as she saw her healthy husband walking out of the room. She recalled she was shocked knowing that they both contracted the virus and her husbands was transferred to the intensive care unit.

As a medical worker, Barker was aware that Garth was in grave danger. Finally, she breathed a sigh of relief when knowing her husband had succeeded in his battle for life.

Expressing special thanks for Vietnamese doctors who saved their lives, Barker said on April 13 they might have not survived if they had stayed in the UK.

The couple immediately took a flight to the UK after leaving the hospital in the evening.

As of April 13, Vietnam had recorded 265 cases of coronavirus infection, of which 146 had fully recovered and received discharge from hospital.

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