Everyday–and it seems like all day–if you turn on the news, you’ll hear about the coronavirus COVID-19. How many people have been tested, diagnosed and died from the terrible disease. But very rarely do you hear about the cases of people recovering.
This is meant by no means to diminish the seriousness of the disease. It’s a terrible pandemic that is affecting everyone and everything around the world. Yes, people are dying. Yes, it’s horrible. But also, yes, people are recovering.
More than 765,000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed across nearly 177 countries and regions since the virus was first detected in Wuhan, the capital city of China’s Hubei province, in late December. More than 36,000 deaths have been counted with more than 160,000 recoveries, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
The U.S. now leads the world in the number of confirmed cases, with more than 470,000, but is third in deaths at more than 16,000.
China has seen more than 90 percent of its confirmed infected population recover, with more than 75,000 recoveries out of the more than 82,000 cases.
Italy, which leads the world in the largest number of deaths, has seen more than 14,000 recoveries out of its more than 100,000 cases. More than 11,000 deaths have been reported.
“The most commonly reported symptoms included fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath, and most patients (80 percent) experienced mild illness,” World Health Organization officials said. “Approximately 14 percent experienced severe disease and 5 percent were critically ill.”
As coronavirus cases near 1 million, hundreds of thousands of patients have recovered. But health experts say the worst of the pandemic is still in front of us.
This news comes after Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said based on modeling of the current pace of the coronavirus’ spread in the U.S., that “between 100,000 and 200,000” people may die from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
One real story of recovery is that of Stewart Boyle. He is almost certain he contracted coronavirus at one of his choir meetings a few weeks ago.
“We were all social distancing when we met on the Thursday, but by Sunday a high number of people had come down with flu-like symptoms,” he says.
Over the following 10 days, the 64-year-old’s health declined.
“It’s quite subtle at first,” he explains to the BBC. “But then I would try to climb the stairs and be wheezing like an old man. Soon I didn’t have the ability to exercise or move at all. The virus was attacking my lungs and I was losing the capacity to fight back.”
Stewart’s family called emergency and he was taken to hospital.
“It was like something out of a movie,” he says. “I was wheeled into the ‘red zone’ and there were…
loads of tests being carried out and swabs being taken. They thought I had coronavirus so they upped my oxygen. There were a couple of hours where I was within a whisper of a very dark place and I thought, ‘maybe my time is up’. But I wanted to live.
“I could feel the battle in my lungs and it required all my reserves to get through it. The extra oxygen gave my lungs a break and gave me the added energy to push out the disease. The NHS staff were incredible, but all they can do is help you fight the virus. There’s no vaccination or magical potion that can save you. It’s about your own resilience.”
Since then, Stewart left hospital and is now self-isolating at home. He has been drinking a lot of water to help his lungs and throat recover.
Another story is from Tiffany Pickney. She said first came a high fever and then chills. She remembers that she couldn’t catch her breath, and deep breathing caused chest pains. The single mother worried about her two sons, 9 and 16.
“I remember being on my bathroom floor crying and praying,” the 39-year-old told the Miami Times.
After recovery, doctors may be using samples of her blood to define a vaccine.
“It’s humbling. And for me, it’s also a beacon of hope for someone else,” she said.
We are continuing to pray for and speak life into those who are afflicted by the disease–those we know about and those we don’t. We are praying for full, 100% recovery on all levels.
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