Coronavirus: Derby patient discharged after two months in hospital

A grandmother who spent 59 days in hospital with coronavirus said it was "great" to finally be home.

Yvonne Thompson, 70, was admitted to Royal Derby Hospital on 5 April and left on Wednesday.

She spent 46 days of that stay in the intensive care ward with breathing problems and was told her chances of surviving had been 50/50.

The day of her discharge was the first time she had seen her husband David since leaving in an ambulance.

Mrs Thompson, from Long Eaton, Derbyshire, was first taken to hospital after a week of self-isolating at home.

"The last thing I remember for a whole month was my husband's face as I left in the ambulance," she said.

She was moved to intensive care and when she next came round, it was already May.

She was moved to a new ward on 20 May but was so tired and weak she was unable to write her name.

She said: "When you come as close as I did, it's really frightening... but the staff were superb, what they did for me was unbelievable. They saved my life."

She was applauded by healthcare staff as she finally left the hospital.

One nurse who looked after her, Courtney Childs, said Mrs Thompson had "needed a lot of support" recovering and it was "quite a shock to see what Covid can do to someone".

"It makes you emotional to see patients discharged," she added.

"It's not always success stories with Covid, so seeing Yvonne discharged really gives us all a boost."

Mrs Thompson said: "It's just great to be able to walk over your own front doorstep."

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