Story By: Jonathan Macias, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash

Newsflash/@polosurtdf

This is the moment an elderly man leaves hospital after contracting COVID-19 on a Caribbean cruise with his wife who died from the illness 10 days ago.

The incident was filmed at a hospital in the municipality of San Andres de Giles in the eastern Argentine province of Buenos Aires where his wife died on 21st March.

In the video, Jorge Ferretti is seen leaving hospital while wearing a face mask and gloves as staff and onlookers applaud him.

Ferretti was enjoying a cruise to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic with his Argentine wife, name and age undisclosed, when they both fell ill.

According to local media, the woman was the fourth COVID-19 victim in Argentina.

Ferretti, who originally comes from Italy, told local media: “It (cruise ship) was full of Italians, and we didn’t know it started there. There were also a lot of people from Madrid there.

“My wife was taken to hospital on the Friday morning with a 40-degree temperature. On Monday, I had a temperature of 37.5 and I called the hospital to speak with my wife.

“A nurse told me they were going to check on me at home, but in the end they took me to hospital.”

Ferretti added that he responded well to the treatment and he will now spend 20 days in isolation at home.

He added: “I am very grateful to all the hospital staff for how they looked after my wife and me. They were excellent.”

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