The shocking story of an Italian athlete about the symptoms of coronavirus and the experimental treatment he received

The coronavirus pandemic today has Europe as one of its main epicenters. The country with the most complicated panorama is Italy, which has more than 41 thousand confirmed cases (second, after China) and 3405 deceased people.

Among the 4400 cured is the Italian athlete Edoardo Melloni, who in dialogue with the International Sports Press Association recounted the symptoms of COVID-19 in the first person and revealed details about the treatment he received. "I'm fine. Fortunately I got to the emergency room on time, where I was diagnosed with pneumonia and where I tested positive for the virus. Luckily everything was in the initial phase and we were all confident that in a short time I would get out of here, "he said.

"The symptoms are subjective, they vary from person to person. In my case it started with a fever around 37.5 and a little cough. The cough became more and more intense and began to last almost 5-10 minutes in a row. It was strong and dry. During one of those moments I ended up spitting blood and that was the moment they sent me to the emergency room"Explained the athlete. Melloni also focused on some of the symptoms she perceived: “Loss of sense of taste and smell should be taken into account. They are symptoms that can appear in people who do not have other symptoms such as cough or fever. In my case the loss of taste was total. Didn't distinguish a piece of chocolate from boiled carrots or pasta with sauce"

Edoardo also detailed the treatment he received to defeat the virus: “They decided to give me a therapy that had already been used in Wuhan hospitals. It was a combination of medications used for arthritis and AIDS infected patients. The medications are hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir / ritonavir. Among the side effects that can cause the diarrhea that I suffered the first day, but from the second day I reacted better ”.

The half-marathon specialist also commented on the previous studies he received before the specialists made the decision to hospitalize him: “When I arrived at the hospital, they measured my blood oxygen level and did a chest x-ray that showed that I had pneumonia. . They gave me an emergency swab, which gave the result in 10 hours, and finally they did an electrocardiogram. After the evaluation of an infectious diseases specialist, they decided to admit me. ” And then he added: "In the hospital, the doctor explained the experimental therapy and asked for consent for its administration.. After accepting, I started the treatment. Our room is separated from the hallway by a room in which the doctors, nurses and service personnel must change before entering. ”

To close, Melloni, despite the fact that he began the quarantine before the Italian government decreed it, believes that he was infected when he had to go to work to deliver a car and take some papers to his home: “He was already isolated before it was mandatory . One day I went out in the morning to train at Parco Nord, a very large park in Milan. On day 9 I went to work to collect some documents that I needed and to leave the company car. To get back I took the subway and I think I got the virus there, because three days later I had symptoms"