Irish cystic fibrosis patient recovered from COVID-19

A London-Irish Cystic Fibrosis patient has made a full recovery from COVID-19 in a symbol of hope for all patients with underlying health conditions. 

Daniel James-Lacey McInerney, 21, was diagnosed with the potentially deadly virus earlier in March but successfully managed to beat it.

Lacey McInerney said that he was terrified for his life when he was diagnosed with COVID-19. Now, after two weeks of hospital care and self-isolation at home, he has tested negative for the virus and is in the clear. 

The London native was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when he was just four years of age and his lungs only work at 30% capacity compared to normal lungs. He also has Cystic Fibrosis-related diabetes. 

Health experts warned that people with respiratory conditions like Cystic Fibrosis or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are more at risk from COVID-19 than other patients. 

However, more than 90% of COVID-19 patients with pre-existing respiratory conditions have survived the illness and Lacey-McInerney hopes that his example can inspire hope that the virus is not a death sentence. 

He offered a simple message to people diagnosed with the virus and said: "We can beat this." 

He said:  "Have faith that our immune system does work. Be positive and have people you can rely on."

Lacey-McInerney said that he has no idea how he contracted the virus but realized something was wrong when he started feeling "pretty bad" and came down with a fever, sore throat, and headache. 

He was admitted to St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London on March 9 due to his symptoms and woke on March 10 with a much more severe flu. He was soon diagnosed with the novel virus and said that he was "absolutely terrified" when a nurse gave him the news. 

Lacey-McInerney was transferred to an ICU in St. Bartholomew's in case his condition worsened, but he began to show signs of recovery soon after.

"The next few days got a lot better - I felt less flu-like but when we tested on Monday, March 16th I was still positive for coronavirus," he told the Daily Express. 

"In the room next to me in the ICU, I could hear an elderly man in his 70s on a ventilator due to Covid-19. It broke my heart.

"I had survivors' guilt and requested to be moved from the ICU as others worse off than me needed them."

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