First critically ill novel coronavirus patient in Shanghai discharged from hospital

The first patient in Shanghai who became critically ill after getting infected with the novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) has recovered and was discharged from hospital on Tuesday.

A total of 268 patients in Shanghai have recovered and been discharged as of noon on Tuesday, accounting for 80 percent of all confirmed cases in the municipality, according to the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission.

The 68-year-old man, surnamed Yang, was a native of Wuhan city, the provincial capital of Hubei province. He developed a fever on Jan 10, the second day after he arrived in Shanghai from Wuhan to visit his son's family. His condition deteriorated in the following days.

After being hospitalized in Shanghai Renji Hospital for several days, Yang received intubation treatment on Jan 23 and was confirmed to have the NCP. He was transferred to the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, where confirmed NCP patients are treated in the municipality, on the same day.

"He is old and his health condition is complicated as he suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and hepatitis B and C," said Hu Bijie, one of the experts in Shanghai who specializes in the treatment of NCP.

At the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, a multidisciplinary medical team designed a customized treatment plan for Yang. Apart from the usual treatments all NCP patients receive, Yang was also prescribed anti-infective drugs, which prevent and treat bacterial and fungal infections, and given treatment to protect his coagulation function, Hu said.

He explained that patients who have to receive intubation treatment after suffering from difficulty in breathing and those who suffer from extremely low blood pressure and even shock are deemed as critically ill.

Hu said that there are still nine patients who are or were formerly critically ill because of the virus, but Yang's recovery has helped to boost the confidence of doctors and nurses in Shanghai.