A British man tested positive for the coronavirus for about 290 days. He was hospitalized seven times. Dave Smith, 72, of England, told that he tested positive 43 times and then once coughed for five hours “non-stop”. His infection is the longest coronavirus case ever documented.
He shed 10 stones (140 pounds) according to the BBC. Here’s a video of him speaking:
“I was ready to give up” after receiving so many positive tests, Smith said. He also stated he urged his wife, “Let me go. I’ve been hanging on but it’s so bad now, I’m just a jelly”. His wife “started to arrange a funeral five times”.
Lynda, his wife, said that she had anticipated him to die. Smith was susceptible, according to the BBC, since he had previously undergone treatment for leukemia. He received a combination of antiviral medicines by Regeneron, the drugmaker. (https://wbctx.com) Scientists are now researching Smith to learn more about how the virus mutates.
He was eventually cured with the same antibody cocktail developed by Regeneron that was used to treat Donald Trump. It contains two antibodies, casirivimab, and imdevimab, which bind to different sites on the coronavirus spike protein, blocking it from infecting new cells.
A case study published earlier this month revealed that a 36-year-old HIV-positive woman harbored the coronavirus for 216 days, during which time the virus acquired more than 30 mutations.