British pilot declared fully recovered

Although doctors said he's fit for discharge and no longer needs to stay in quarantine, he's still being kept at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for physical therapy.

Stephen Cameron, 43, is set to return to his country by a special repatriation flight on Sunday, the Health Ministry said.

He had spent over 100 days in hospital, but made a miraculous recovery after being comatose for more than two months and constantly on ventilators, gradually regaining consciousness before sitting up and eating on his own.

"Patient 91" had been diagnosed with the infection on March 18 and was cured of the novel coronavirus after two months at the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases. He also suffered from cytokine storm syndrome, which happened when his immune system overreacted to the novel coronavirus attacking the body, releasing too many cytokines and damaging his organs.

He relied on ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) from April 6 to June 3 as fibrosis solidified most of his lungs.

His treatment attracted global attention as an example of Vietnam’s remarkable fight against the pandemic. Despite having a population of over 96 million and sharing a border with China, the country did not have a single Covid-19 death.

It recorded 369 cases, with 28 still being treated. No community transmission has been detected in nearly three months.