Coronavirus: recovered Emirati student recalls battle with virus

Abdulla Khaled Al Haatemi, 20, was taken ill on a flight from America and rushed to hospital on landing

A health worker checks the body temperature of passengers bound for Frankfurt at Dubai International Airport.

Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft are seen on the tarmac at Dubai International Airport.

Passengers bound for Frankfurt board a shuttle bus at Dubai International Airport.

A flydubai aircraft is parked on the tarmac of Dubai International Airport.

Passengers check in at Dubai International Airport.

An information board displays an alert for passengers to maintain distance from others at Dubai International Airport.

Mask-clad passengers bound for Frankfurt walk past check-in counters at Dubai International Airport.

A mask-clad employee walks in front of a flydubai aircraft on the tarmac of Dubai International Airport.

Passengers bound for Frankfurt wait at a terminal of Dubai International Airport.

Passengers bound for Frankfurt wait at a terminal of Dubai International Airport.

Passengers bound for Frankfurt wait at a terminal of Dubai International Airport.

Passengers wait at a terminal at Dubai International Airport, as Emirates resumed a limited number of outbound passenger flights.

An Emirates aircraft takes off from Dubai International Airport.

Emirates Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft are seen on the tarmac at Dubai International Airport as the airline resumed a limited number of outbound passenger flights.

Passengers are assisted at the check-in counter in a terminal at Dubai International Airport.

Passengers have their travel documents checked before departure at Dubai International Airport.

Passengers have their travel documents checked before departure at Dubai International Airport.

An Emirati student has spoken of his recovery from Covid-19 after falling ill on a flight from America to Abu Dhabi.

Abdulla Khaled Al Haatemi, 20, was one of 10 patients at Burjeel Medical City to be discharged from hospital this week after testing positive for the virus on March 29.

The decision to discharge him came on a special day for the computer engineering student as it fell on his 20th birthday.

He told The National he was hugely relieved to be back at home with his family in the capital.

“It has been a weird experience,” said Mr Al Haatemi, who was flying home from Phoenix, where he attends Arizona State University.

“I get motion sickness on planes and with everything going on, I didn’t know if it was that or something more serious like coronavirus.

“I had been following the news around the world of the pandemic, so knew it was becoming a big problem everywhere.

“I was tested for Covid-19 as soon as I arrived.”

Mr Al Haatemi was taken by ambulance to BMC and placed in isolation.

He spent a week in Tower A, a block temporarily reserved for Covid-19 patients.

Although able to keep in contact with friends via video calls, Mr Al Haatemi said he was relieved to be out in time to celebrate his birthday.

“The first test was positive, which scared everyone,” he said.

“I was told I needed to pass another two tests before I could be released and be self-quarantined at home.

“Doctors suspected I was an asymptomatic carrier of the virus.

“I didn’t feel particularly unwell, so I could not understand how I could pass it on.

“When the doctors told me I may not have shown any symptoms but could still infect others, I was worried about who I had been in contact with.

“If I had given it to someone else without knowing, that would have been really bad.”

A total of 73 Covid-19 patients are currently being treated at the new BMC hospital complex in Mohamed Bin Zayed City in Abu Dhabi.

Mr Al Haatemi has remained in isolation at home since his release, to reduce the risk of infecting other family members.

His mother has also since tested negative for the virus.

Dr Fathi Algiurani, an internal medicine consultant at Burjeel Medical City, said most of the patients under his care were stable, with none requiring intensive treatment.

“The guidelines for Covid-19 treatment have been changing almost daily,” he said.

“It is a new virus, so no one knows what the best treatment is, and a lot of it is experimental.”

“We started Abdulla on hydroxychloroquine as we knew patients in China had a faster recovery that way.”

Mr Haatemi had regular blood tests to check his kidney and liver function were normal, while his temperature was lowered using paracetamol.

His progress was constantly monitored by two junior doctors checking his progress under Dr Algiurani’s supervision.

“These patients were the first to use the hospital,” he said.

“It was strange to have coronavirus patients so soon after fully opening.”

Listen to another Emirati man who recovered from Covid-19