DUBAI: A Filipino boy, who spent his ninth birthday at the Intensive Care Unit of the Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) in Abu Dhabi for COVID-19 treatment was discharged yesterday before a cheering crowd of medical staff and well-wishers.
Hervie Emmanuel Magos underwent treatment for almost a month at the hospital where he was admitted on March 22 and was immediately transferred to ICU a day later on March 23.
After 19 days in ICU, Magos was moved to the hospital’s General Ward on April 11 and finally discharged on April 21.
Dr. Anwar Gargash, the UAE’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, broke the inspiring news about Magos’ recovery on his Twitter, where he posted a video of the boy walking by the corridor outside the hospital’s ICU while medical staff applauded.
“The corona’s youngest patient in the Emirates is recovering from intensive care at Khalifa Hospital. The Filipino child celebrates his ninth birthday and celebrates life,” the minister tweeted.
Numbers
Magos is among 1,443 COVID-19 patients, reported by the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) to have recuperated from the coronavirus since monitoring started in late January.
On the day of his discharge from the hospital, MoHAP reported having conducted 30,000 additional COVID-19 tests over the past few days, resulting in the detection of 490 new cases.
The Ministry also announced the full recovery of 83 bringing the total to 1,443.
Speaking at a regular media briefing also yesterday, Dr. Farida Al Hosani, spokesperson for the UAE health sector, likewise said that total number of COVID-19 patients has now reached 7,755 while fatalities were at 46.
The UAE is “close to completing one million examinations within an effective scientific methodology to confront the coronavirus epidemic,” Dr. Gargash meanwhile said.
“The challenge is huge globally and our confidence is absolute in our leadership and in the first line of defense: the while army of doctors, nurses and specialists as well as volunteers,” he said.
The Daily Bread 