PM Lee expresses respect to healthcare workers as patient goes from ICU to recovery from Covid-19

Singapore – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong shared a moving story of a patient who tested positive for Covid-19 and her miraculous journey from intensive care to recovery.
To date, there have been 19 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Singapore that won the battle and recovered from the ongoing virus epidemic.

The latest one, Case 15, was a 47-year-old Singaporean woman who wishes to be called Mrs Zhang, according to a CNA report. Mrs Zhang was discharged from the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) on February 16, Sunday.

Mrs Zhang, her husband and teenage son, were in Wuhan and a part of the 92 Singaporeans evacuated from the virus epicentre on January 30 via a Scoot flight. A transcript of her experience was shared by the Ministry of Health (MOH).

While in Wuhan and with the virus spreading, Mrs Zhang recalled her anxiety, wondering if “Singapore will fetch us home.” She was thankful that her husband, being a man who followed the rules, informed the Singapore embassy of their departure, and soon enough received word from a Ms Zhang of an arranged flight home.

Mrs Zhang showed no signs of illness when she boarded the plane but was diagnosed with a fever upon arrival at Changi Airport. She was transferred to NCID and tested positive for Covid-19 the following day.

The patient’s condition, although felt “normal” at first, suddenly deteriorated, reported The Straits Times. Mrs Zhang was being supplied with oxygen through a tube inserted in her nose, and the levels kept increasing. “Because my lungs were not functioning well, it did not work,” she shared. “I remembered vividly the day I had extreme difficulty in breathing and felt that I was dying. I thought: ‘Am I dying?’”

She was sent to the ICU and could remember the reassuring words of her doctor vividly, “Don’t worry; we will insert a tube to help you in breathing.” Mrs Zhang expressed her gratitude to all the healthcare workers that kept reassuring her throughout her ordeal. “The medical team here is excellent,” said Mrs Zhang. “They treated me like family, encouraged me to take my medicine and told me not to be afraid.”

“She managed to pull through, thanks to the care of the doctors and nurses at the NCID,” repeated PM Lee. “My deepest respect to all the healthcare workers, who are working so hard to care for patients. My thanks also to their families and loved ones for their sacrifices and understanding.”