A 62-year-old Anaheim man was discharged from the hospital Monday after recovering from COVID-19.
Donning his protective face mask, Tien Tran was wheeled out of Anaheim Global Medical Center, surrounded by cheering nurses and doctors.
Tran had been on a ventilator and put into a medically induced coma for 16 days as he underwent treatment for the deadly respiratory illness.
Against the odds, Tran recovered.
“A second life. Like somebody just granted me a second life,” he said outside the hospital Monday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists older adults as being at greater risk of illness from the coronavirus, with 8 out of 10 deaths reported in the U.S. being among in adults 65 years and older.
Tran was treated with Hydroxychloroquine along with other medications, Dr. George Girgis of Anaheim Global Medical Center told KTLA.
The drug, typically used to treat malaria, has received attention after some studies pointed to it as a potential treatment for COVID-19 and it was touted by President Donald Trump during a White House news briefing.
And though there have been anecdotal reports of COVID-19 patients recovering after taking the medication, the research is still limited and health experts have stressed that there’s not yet enough scientific evidence to back the claims.