83-year-old diabetic beats Covid-19 after weeks in intensive care in Dubai

Prithvipal Singh's 12km daily walks and vegetarian diet played a major part in his survival, doctors said

Prithvipal Singh is among the oldest patients to recover from Covid-19 in the UAE. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Prithvipal Singh with his wife, son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. All but the granddaughter contracted Covid-19. Chris Whiteoak / The National

 Prithvipal Singh, 83, with Dr Rohit Kumar, medical director at Medeor Hospital in Dubai and Dr Saheer Sainalabdeen, a specialist in respiratory medicine at the hospital. Courtesy: Medeor Hospital 

Prithvipal Singh, 83, recovers from Covid-19 after about a month in Medeor Hospital in Dubai and two weeks in the intensive care unit. The diabetic patient’s active lifestyle assisted his recovery. Courtesy: Medeor Hospital

Prithvipal Singh, 83, one of the oldest patients to recover from Covid-19, said support from doctors and nurses gave him a new lease of life. Courtesy: Medeor Hospital.

Prithvipal Singh, 83, with Dr Rohit Kumar, medical director at Medeor Hospital in Dubai and Dr Saheer Sainalabdeen, a specialist in respiratory medicine at the hospital. Courtesy: Medeor Hospital.

The x-ray on the left shows the white cloudy areas where the infection has spread all across Prithvipal Singh’s lungs and the right (dark/black areas) x-rays show how he has recovered. The first x-ray was taken on November 8 and the second x-ray was on November 28 during a follow-up after he was discharged. Courtesy: Medeor Hospital

An 83-year-old man has become among the oldest in the UAE to beat Covid-19 after a month in a hospital in Dubai.

Prithvipal Singh, a diabetic, fought to breathe throughout his first two weeks at the intensive care unit in at Medeor Hospital.

But doctors said his daily walks, before he became sick, played a major part in his recovery.

It was a double celebration for the family on Monday when Mr Singh cut his birthday cake at his son’s Umm Suqeim villa, a week after being discharged.

"I'm feeling very good now but, when I was in the hospital, I was a little afraid," he told The National.

“The doctors said I was strong because of my walking. My daily habit was to walk 6km in the morning and 6km in the evening.

“After the age of 80, I reduced my walks but my speed is still good, I walk 5km in one hour every day."

Mr Singh has been advised to rest for two weeks before resuming his walks.

Mr Singh making a full recovery and leaving the hospital on November 23 raised staff spirits.

"It’s a big motivation, it’s a morale booster for all the hard work of my nurses and physicians,” said Dr Rohit Kumar, medical director and head of surgery at Medeor Hospital, Dubai.

“We even cut a cake in the hospital because it is a big satisfaction to see an 83-year-old patient who had corona walk out of here.”

Mr Singh and his wife had travelled to Dubai from India in October to spend some time with their son.

A week after they landed in the Emirates, the family’s domestic worker contracted the coronavirus and it spread across the household.

After about six days of home quarantine with a low fever and cough, Mr Singh was admitted to hospital on October 29. He was having difficulty breathing and had a severe fever.

He appeared to recover in hospital, but later took a turn for the worse and was admitted to the intensive care unit.

Doctors worried when his oxygen levels dropped to critically low levels.

"His oxygen requirement slowly went up from 20 to more than 80 per cent," said Dr Saheer Sainalabdeen, respiratory medicine specialist at Medeor Hospital.

“Both lungs had pneumonia with low oxygen and it was really very bad. He was not able to maintain the oxygen. All markers infective and inflammatory were going up.”

X-rays taken on November 8 showed white cloudy areas across most of his lungs, where the infection had spread.

Doctors chose to fit Mr Singh with an oxygen mask rather than placing him on an invasive ventilator that would involve inserting a tube down his windpipe.

“With treatment and supportive care, he didn’t need to go on the ventilator. His requirements came down and he was slowly weaned off oxygen," said Dr Sainalabdeen.

The treatment included two types of antibiotics (piperacillin and azithromycin); the steroid methylprednisolone, an anticoagulant and the antiviral favipiravir.

Despite being a diabetic for more than 30 years, Mr Singh had kept his sugar under control.

“The good message he gives out in covid treatment is that your previous lifestyle affects the current outcome,” Dr Sainalabdeen said.

“It is his active lifestyle and his attention to nutrition that helped him come out of this.”

The family’s 33-year-old helper, who first contracted the virus, was also admitted to hospital and has since recovered.

Mr Singh’s 82-year-old wife, son, daughter-in-law, and chauffeur recouped at home after a few days of low fever.

His son, Manpreet Singh, was relieved the ordeal was over.

“I have no words to say thank you to the medical staff. They have given my father a new life,” said Mr Singh, a Dubai resident for about 30 years.

“It was a nightmare for all of us. It was tough coming back from a situation when a doctor says, ‘Let’s hope for the best.' My dad’s fitness levels meant he was strong enough to fight.”

The Singh family has a simple message to people planning festivities for the year-end.

“This virus hurts your body so it’s better to take precautions now than regret and suffer later,” Mr Singh said.

“For those suffering, we want to ask them not to lose hope. They can fight it out like my dad whose strong willpower helped him pull through.”

This was the first time, the elder Mr Singh had ever been admitted to hospital.

He believes a vegetarian diet plays a role in his robust health and he is raring to resume daily walks.

“I will remain at home for 15 days and thereafter I will go walking  to keep up my stamina,” he said.

“I can’t explain in words the care taken by the hospital staff because every few hours they asked how I was feeling. I can now stand up and walk due to the grace of the doctors and nurses.”