Argentine football great Diego Maradona could be discharged from hospital on Tuesday or Wednesday after progressing well since brain surgery on a blood clot, his doctor said Monday.
Maradona, 60, underwent surgery last Tuesday to remove a clot lodged between his brain and skull.
"Diego is in the mood to leave, and we are evaluating the discharge that could be tomorrow or probably Wednesday, we have to see the clinical parameters, but the progress is very good," Leopoldo Luque told reporters.
Maradona, who went into isolation two weeks ago after one of his bodyguards displayed coronavirus symptoms, had looked unwell during a brief appearance on October 30 at his 60th birthday celebration at the stadium of Gimnasia y Esgrima, the Argentine Primera Division team he coaches.
He seemed to have difficulty walking and did not hang around to watch his side's match.
The following Monday, he was taken to hospital in La Plata, where the club is based, suffering from symptoms of anemia and dehydration. Tests revealed the blood clot, after which Maradona was transferred to a specialist clinic in the capital.
Since his surgery, he has progressed well, although Luque had revealed Thursday that Maradona was receiving intensive treatment and sedatives for withdrawal symptoms. This treatment began to be scaled back on Monday.
Luque also played down a rumor cited by local press about the presence of a Covid-19 patient in the clinic.
"Covid is everywhere, there is nothing here that there is not elsewhere, and the care and protocols are followed to perfection," he said.
Luque also avoided specifying where Maradona will recuperate once he is discharged.
"We will discuss these issues when the time comes, we will discuss them together with the family. We all agree to take Diego forward," he said.
Maradona has been admitted to hospital three times in the last 20 years for serious health issues – two of which were potentially fatal.
Last week, his doctor had said the football star would require prolonged treatment in a clinic with different specialties than the current one.
Maradona's daughters Dalma, Giannina and Jana visit him daily at the clinic.
His oldest son, Diego Jr, who lives in Italy, announced last Thursday on social media that he had tested positive for Covid-19 and therefore would not be able to travel to Buenos Aires.
Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books
Slow loris biog
From: Lonely Loris is a Sunda slow loris, one of nine species of the animal native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore
Status: Critically endangered, and listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list due to growing demand in the global exotic pet trade. It is one of the most popular primate species found at Indonesian pet markets
Likes: Sleeping, which they do for up to 18 hours a day. When they are awake, they like to eat fruit, insects, small birds and reptiles and some types of vegetation
Dislikes: Sunlight. Being a nocturnal animal, the slow loris wakes around sunset and is active throughout the night
Superpowers: His dangerous elbows. The slow loris’s doe eyes may make it look cute, but it is also deadly. The only known venomous primate, it hisses and clasps its paws and can produce a venom from its elbow that can cause anaphylactic shock and even death in humans
The major Hashd factions linked to Iran:
Badr Organisation: Seen as the most militarily capable faction in the Hashd. Iraqi Shiite exiles opposed to Saddam Hussein set up the group in Tehran in the early 1980s as the Badr Corps under the supervision of the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The militia exalts Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei but intermittently cooperated with the US military.
Saraya Al Salam (Peace Brigade): Comprised of former members of the officially defunct Mahdi Army, a militia that was commanded by Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr and fought US and Iraqi government and other forces between 2004 and 2008. As part of a political overhaul aimed as casting Mr Al Sadr as a more nationalist and less sectarian figure, the cleric formed Saraya Al Salam in 2014. The group’s relations with Iran has been volatile.
Kataeb Hezbollah: The group, which is fighting on behalf of the Bashar Al Assad government in Syria, traces its origins to attacks on US forces in Iraq in 2004 and adopts a tough stance against Washington, calling the United States “the enemy of humanity”.
Asaeb Ahl Al Haq: An offshoot of the Mahdi Army active in Syria. Asaeb Ahl Al Haq’s leader Qais al Khazali was a student of Mr Al Moqtada’s late father Mohammed Sadeq Al Sadr, a prominent Shiite cleric who was killed during Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba: Formed in 2013 to fight alongside Mr Al Assad’s loyalists in Syria before joining the Hashd. The group is seen as among the most ideological and sectarian-driven Hashd militias in Syria and is the major recruiter of foreign fighters to Syria.
Saraya Al Khorasani: The ICRG formed Saraya Al Khorasani in the mid-1990s and the group is seen as the most ideologically attached to Iran among Tehran’s satellites in Iraq.
(Source: The Wilson Centre, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation)
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
