COVID-19: British pilot to be discharged from hospital

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s
most critically ill COVID-19 patient, a British pilot with Vietnam Airlines
named Stephen Cameron, is expected to be discharged from hospital and
return to his homeland in the UK soon, doctors at Cho Ray Hospital have said.

“He
now can leave the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for rehabilitation and return to
his homeland as soon as necessary procedures that make it possible
for him to leave are completed,” said Assoc Prof Pham Thi Ngoc Thao,
deputy director of the HCM City-based hospital.

“His
has reached 85 percent, and the lung infection is
completely clear,” Thao said at a meeting on June 22.

The
Scotsman’s heart, liver and kidney functions have fully recovered, she
said, adding he can communicate well with and no longer
needs assistance from a ventilator to breathe.

The 43-year-old is taking part in a rehabilitation regimen to
regain the strength and recovery of his hands. His muscle strength in
his feet is good. He can write, eat and use his mobile phone without assistance.

Cameron,
the 91st patient in Vietnam, spent 65 days undergoing
treatment for COVID-19 at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in HCM City
after he tested positive for the coronavirus on March 18.

On
May 22, he was transferred to for further treatment after
testing negative for COVID-19, and at the time was expected to
undergo a lung transplant as the disease had reduced his lung capacity to 10
percent.

He was put on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine
and a ventilator, and given many kinds of drugs, Thao said.

“He at some point seemed close to death but was saved with
appropriate medical interventions,” she added.

He regained consciousness on May 26 and his lung capacity improved
gradually, making it possible for him to survive without a lung transplant
which had a high risk of death.

On June 3, he was disconnected to the ECMO machine, and on June 12
the ventilator and now he remains fully conscious.

At an online medicine consultation held on June 22 with the participation
of experts who have been involved in the treatment for more than
three months, Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Truong Son said the patient will
need to undergo at least another two to three weeks of physical therapy to be
able to board a plane safely for home.

He said the patient can only leave for home if he could still receive continued
care during the flight home and when the Vietnamese side can contact and
communicate with an appropriate medical facility in Scotland that can
receive the patient and provide him with the best care.

Vietnamese
traditional medicine was also involved in the care of the patient, experts
revealed at the teleconference./.