Student reveals Covid-19 Battle nearly led to Death

A 26-year-old university student has revealed that he almost died while battling Covid-19.

Irfan Nazir, of Huddersfield, explained that all of his family, including his two younger brothers, his wife and his father tested positive for the virus.

Irfan said he was fine for the first 10 days.

However, his oxygen levels then slipped to dangerously low levels.

The pharmacy student then called an ambulance and he was taken to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.

He was transferred to Calderdale Royal Hospital where he was put on a respiratory ward for three days.

But Irfan’s health worsened and he required continuous positive airway pressure.

For seven days, Irfan was placed in an intensive care unit before being transferred to a hospital in the Manchester area.

After 10 days, Irfan revealed medics had to put him to sleep in order to aid his recovery.

Irfan said: “Eventually my health got worse and was needing more oxygen then the consultant decided to place me on a ventilator.

“After a week on it, I got worse and needed ECMO (Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a technique of providing prolonged cardiac and respiratory support to persons whose heart and lungs are unable to provide an adequate amount of gas exchange or perfusion to sustain life treatment), for which I was transferred to Manchester Wythenshawe Hospital.

“I was on ECMO until February 1. They decided to turn off ECMO as I kept contracting infections.

“I had a yeast infection and many others.

“I also had a blood clot whilst on ECMO which had to be removed from my lungs. I had single organ failure.

“When the consultant decided to turn off ECMO he told my family that I had a 20% chance of survival.”

“Miracles do exist I believe. With prayers from a lot of family friends and local Muslim community I pulled through and started to recover.”

Despite medics saving his life, Irfan says Covid-19 has left him extremely weak and losing all of his strength.

His frailty has prevented him from taking his one-year-old son for a walk.

Irfan added: “I have foot drop, (a muscular weakness or paralysis that makes it difficult to lift the front part of your foot and toes), which was as a result of the ECMO treatment.

“I can’t move my right foot due to nerve damage and I’m left with lifelong scars to the neck.

“I’m also suffering from depression and need ongoing physiotherapy.”