Pakistani COVID-19 patient says happy to get new life

Adil Rehman, first recovered patient from coronavirus in Peshawar, says life in hospital was tough

ISLAMABAD: The first patient to recover from the novel coronavirus in Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa says he was fortunate to get a new lease on life.

Adil Rehman, a 29-year old businessman from Khyber district, was discharged from the Police Services Hospital in Peshawar on Tuesday.

“I had no international travel history and don’t know how I was infected,” Rehman told Anadolu Agency.

“On March 12, initially I had a high temperature along with tiredness and body aches. On the second day, there was severe pain in my throat.

“Due to the sore throat, I was unable to even eat anything,” he recalled, adding on the third day, he developed a dry cough, and on the fourth day, he experienced difficulty in breathing.

“When I felt that my situation had deteriorated, I went to a doctor in Peshawar, who immediately referred me to the Police Services Hospital on March 16, where they conducted a test and I was tested positive,” Rehman added.

The hospital was the first facility to be declared an isolation center for coronavirus patients by the provincial government.

According to the Health Ministry, 1,625 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the country and 18 deaths while 28 patients have successfully recovered.

Days in hospital

Rehman spent eight days in the hospital, where he remained in an isolation room.

“These eight days in the hospital were very tough, as I was even unable to speak with my family because mobile phone signals were very weak there,” he said

However, he praised the doctors and nurses for their excellent treatment which helped him recover.

“The hospital administration did not allow my family to bring in food and there also weren’t any arrangements for healthy food, but I had fruits,” he said.

Referring to his treatment, he said doctors prescribed antibiotics and paracetamol with some injections to control his temperature.

Public should avoid panic

According to Rehman, initially he was petrified when he tested positive because thousands of people across the globe had died from the coronavirus, but now he says people should not panic.

"I request all people to please don't feel fear. Just follow the guidelines and stay home. If I can recover, other people can also recover, Inshallah (God willing).”

After being discharged from the hospital, Rehman stayed at home and avoided meeting with anyone.

"Now I am fully recovered. There are no symptoms of fever, cough, tiredness or throat infection, but still as per the doctors’ advice, I am following the guidelines and staying home in isolation for five or six more days.”

The first death in Pakistan was also reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on March 18 when 50-year-old Saadat Khan, who returned from Saudi Arabia on March 9, died in the hospital.

According to health authorities, Khan spread the virus in his village and more then 40 people there tested positive.

However, on March 26, the provincial chief minister, Mahmood Khan, announced that two people had successfully recovered.

"There is very good news. Doctors at the Mardan Medical Complex said that two close contacts of Pakistan’s first casualty of the coronavirus, Saadat Khan, recovered from COVID-19 and were discharged from the hospital Thursday," the CM tweeted.