Story By: Juan Fenandez Mayes, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
Italy’s first confirmed COVID-19 patient has spoken about his ordeal after battling the virus – telling how it affected his pregnant wife and his father who later died.
In an interview with television channel RAI, Mattia, 38, said: “Sickness, healing, pain and hope. That is how I summarise my story as a recovered COVID-19 patient.
“We are all clinging to hope that this will end quickly for ourselves, our loved ones and everyone else, and fear that it will never end – at least not in the near future.”
Mattia was hospitalised on 20th February at Codogno Hospital in the northern Italian province of Lombardy, ground zero for COVID-19 before it spread across Europe.
Mattia was then transferred to the San Matteo de Pavia Hospital the following day where he reportedly spent 18 days in the ICU.
His pregnant wife Valentina and his father were also infected with the virus, with his dad being hospitalised just one day after Mattia.
His father reportedly died from complications related to COVID-19 soon after.
Valentina managed to overcome the disease and she gave birth to the couple’s daughter Giulia on 7th April.
Mattia said: “I was ill, I got better, I suffered the loss of my father, and was happy about the birth of my daughter. We carry on, and our lives only make sense when hope shows us a new perspective.
“For me, hope came from the birth of my daughter Giulia.”
Mattia was released from hospital on 25th March after spending 18 days in the ICU and over a month fighting off the virus.
In that time, he reportedly received a cocktail of antibiotics, HIV treatments and other medicine.
According to the latest figures by Johns Hopkins University, Italy has reported 159,516 cases of COVID-19, 20,465 related deaths and 35,435 recoveries.
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