at both the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital of Tropical Diseases and Cho Ray Hospital.

According to the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control, the patient is now in his eighth day of being disconnected from a mechanical ventilation machine and no longer requires full oxygen support during the daytime. At night, he is assisted with 0.5 litres of oxygen per minute.

At present the patient is fully conscious and is able to communicate well, while his renal, cardiac, and hepatic functions have all undergone vast improvements, in addition to his pancreatic enzymes returning to normal. Furthermore, his ability to move has gotten better, with the patient now able to get up and turn around in bed along with roughly four fifths of his leg muscles recovering after receiving physical therapy twice a day, doctors said. Despite these positives, he still needs time in order to regain the use of his leg muscles and make a complete recovery.

The patient’s latest CT scan indicates that his lung volume has returned to 90% of their original capacity.

The latest positive development indicates that the recovery of the patient’s leg muscles is almost complete and has happened at a rate faster than expected, with doctors previously believing that it would take him many weeks to be able to recover the majority of his motor functions.

The British national, who is employed by Vietnam Airlines as a pilot, has been hospitalised for the past three months since he was originally infected with the COVID-19 on March 18. 

When originally hospitalised the patient was in a healthy state, although his condition suddenly worsened with his lung capacity dropping rapidly, forcing him to require the aid of the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine ECMO from April 6.

Since this point however his overall health has improved drastically and he is now well on the way to making a full miraculous recovery. He shared with doctors his desire to leave hospital soon to return home, adding that he is keen to return to his native Scotland.

The 43-year-old patient had been receiving treatment at the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital of Tropical Diseases for a total 65 days, before being transferred to the city’s Cho Ray hospital on May 22.

He remains the country’s most critical COVID-19 patient and has spent the longest time receiving treatment at medical facilities for a combined total of 93 days.

Business-class seat proposal to bring British patient home

Dr. Nguyen Tri Thuc, Director of Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, said that a British pilot being treated for the novel coronavirus known as patient 91 is fully conscious on June 20 and is now capable of sitting in a wheelchair, meaning that it could be possible to purchase a business-class air ticket with accompanying medical staff in order to escort him home.

The patient is now able to breathe without assistance, whilst his heart rate is at 105 beats per minute, his blood pressure is 130/70 mmHg, whilst he is able to maintain a stable body temperature. He can cough through his mouth when needed and is capable of communicating well verbally. 

At present, the 43-year-old British patient requires a little more recovery time in order to be able to fully regain the use of his leg muscles and recover the majority of his motor functions.

According Dr. Thuc, patient 91 is now well enough to be discharged from hospital, with this timing well with his aspiration of returning home. Therefore, Cho Ray Hospital has proposed that the Ministry of Health devise solutions in order for him to return to Scotland, so he can avoid the risk of contracting hospital infections due to his weak resistance and lung damage.

The proposed flight can be paid for through one of three solutions, either through an insurance company, the patient's firm 919 Airlight Company, or by funding from a business or sponsor.

The patient has so far has spent the longest time of any COVID-19 case in the country receiving treatment at the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital of Tropical Diseases and Cho Ray Hospital, with his treatment lasting for combined total of 93 days.

He was originally discontinued from dialysis on May 27 and then from the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine ECMO on the morning of June 3. Recent days have seen medical staff at Cho Ray Hospital take the pilot outdoors in order to enjoy some sunlight.

Saigontourist offers to support repatriation of British COVID-19 patient

Saigontourist, the country's leading tour operator, has expressed an interest in contributing to efforts to help repatriate a British novel coronavirus (COVID-19) patient once he makes a full recovery.

Pham Huy Binh, chairman of the Board of Members of Saigontourist Group, said the company is prepared to collaborate with relevant authorities in order to fulfill the patient’s desire to return to his native Scotland after making a sufficient recovery. 

Saigontourist is willing to assist the patient by covering all expenses relating to his air tickets and other transportation costs in order to fulfill the patient's wishes, said Binh.

Binh emphasised that through their support, the company hopes to share the burden with the local health sector in terms of COVID-19 prevention and control activities, as well as contributing to boosting the country’s image as both a safe and friendly destination to international friends and tourists around the globe.

According to the Ministry of Health, the National Treatment Sub-committee will hold a consultation before transferring the patient to the rehabilitation department. When he is deemed well enough to leave the intensive care unit, the hospital will move to speed up procedures in order to discharge the patient and allow him to return to his homeland.

The British patient, the most critically ill case in Vietnam, was confirmed on March 18 to have contracted the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 disease. He had fallen into a coma for more than 2 months before staying conscious recently.

He has since then gone on to make a miraculous recovery and doctors said he does not need a lung transplant – an option that doctors had considered to save his life.

The British citizen is currently being treated at Cho Ray Hospital’s intensive care unit in Ho Chi Minh City. VOV

British pilot in Vietnam no longer needs lung transplant

After getting unplugged of ventilator, the British patient had the tracheotomy tube removed and could breathe himself.

British pilot able to stand, undergoing physical therapy

The British pilot, Vietnam’s 91st COVID-19 patient, is able to stand and is undergoing physical therapy with the support of medical workers, according to HCM City’s Cho Ray Hospital.