Hospital staff celebrate as state’s last COVID patient leaves

It was a COVID-infected daughter’s emotional “farewell” to her parents that helped them turn the corner after battling the virus for months, doctors revealed.

For the first time in 269 days, Victoria has no active coronavirus cases and the state’s hospitals are completely COVID-19 free.

After a marathon fight for life, the final patient of Victoria’s second wave of coronavirus was discharged from Monash Medical Centre on Monday.

It is the first time Victoria has not had a coronavirus patient in hospital since February 21.

The elderly man and his wife had both been in hospital for more than a month, at one stage so critically ill their family was taken to hospital for what they feared was a final goodbye.

But the couple rallied and have been the only COVID-19 patients in the state’s hospitals since November 1 — until the woman, in her 80s, was discharged on Thursday, followed on Monday by her husband, in his 90s.

Their discharge is being celebrated both for their survival, as well as for ending Victoria’s second wave of coronavirus.

In a fitting finale, the medical team that saved the couple also diagnosed and treated Australia’s first COVID-19 case on January 24.

Monash infectious diseases physician Rhonda Stuart said watching the couple pull through brought a joyous end to a painful chapter for her colleagues and the entire state.

“There are a lot of mixed emotions,” Dr Stuart said. “This has been a rollercoaster ride this year.

“For this family it has been a bit of a rocky road.

“The whole treating team have gone on that journey with them, from being really concerned to now waiting out for us to release them as the last person from isolation in Victoria. It’s a pretty remarkable story.”

The couple spent their hospital stay isolated from family — and even each other — as they battled the deadly disease in separate rooms.

Last of the COVID patients to leave Monash Hospital. Medical Director, Infection prevention and Epidemiology Rhonda Stuart (centre) with CEO Andrew Stripp (right) and COVID Ward 32 nurse Alice Jones. Picture: David Caird

Infected as part of the Chadstone shopping centre cluster in early October, they were admitted to Monash after deteriorating and needed oxygen.

When their condition became critical, doctors decided it was important for the family to visit for what was feared would be a farewell — a move complicated by the fact their daughter had also contracted COVID-19 and was in isolation.

The hospital gained a Chief Health Officer’s exemption to allow a high-security visit for each parent, which had a bigger effect than anyone could have foreseen.

“We weren’t sure that she would see them if she waited,” Dr Stuart said.

“It was very distressing for everyone involved.

“We were very concerned they were not going to make it through so, even though she was (coronavirus) positive, we arranged to get her to come in and see her parents safely.

“She drove herself to the hospital, she was met and put into all the right PPE and taken to the ward and allowed to spend some time with each parent separately and then taken home.

“That human touch not only helped her but it helped her parents as well — and then they turned the corner.”

After their daughter’s visit, both parents began improving, though they still needed the maximum doses of antiviral drugs and steroids.

As other COVID-19 patients came and went, the couple were among of the longest-staying of the 190 treated at the hospital.

They were finally taken off oxygen support last week and, in the past few days have been able to see each other, before being cleared of the virus and allowed to return home.

Grace Butel-Simoes, Frances Mahoney, Georgia Duffy, Mel Norman and Marwah Jadooe; back row: Khai Lin Kong, Stuart Birnie and Taylah van Leerdam at Monash Hospital. Picture: Jay Town

On January 24, a man who had flown to Melbourne from Wuhan arrived at Monash Medical Centre, where it was Dr Stuart who realised he was Australia’s first coronavirus case.

Since then, another 20,344 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in Victoria, including 2485 who were admitted to hospital. For Monash Health chief executive Andrew Stripp, seeing the last patient leave in good health underscored the effort of all Victorians.

“It was Friday, January 24, the Friday before Australia Day, and I still remember getting a call that somebody who had recently arrived from Wuhan had all the symptoms,” Mr Stripp said.

“He did well, the team did well and managed it like any other infectious patient. He was with us for a few weeks and then went home.

“Now here we are, 10 months later, and we are discharging the last patient.

“It’s extraordinary efforts of the community to get to so many days of double zero.”

During the pandemic Monash staff have fought for exemptions to allow families arriving from overseas to leave quarantine to say farewell dying loved ones.

It was about treating the human side of the epidemic, not just the medical — and something Mr Stripp said the team was particularly proud of.

“They have been with us a long time so the team knows them, and they have been through a challenging journey,” he said. “It is so pleasing that they are saying farewell. But there will be mixed emotions of having worked so closely with him, worked with their daughter. Our medical staff have spent a lot of time with the family and it is sad to see people go.”

Seeing not only her hospital but the entire state free of COVID-19 for the first time since the initial diagnosis is a chance for Dr Stuart to draw a line in the sand — but certainly not assume the battle is won.

“We are prepared that we may see more patients — it would be lovely if we didn’t but the reality is when we look around the world what we are seeing means we can’t take her our eye off the ball,” she said.

“But this is extraordinary. So much has happened.

“The whole state has been amazing, but all the hospitals and the public health units have been running on not much sleep and doing so much work to get to this stage.

“Now we are just grateful we’ve got here, taking a bit of a breather and then getting back into making sure we keep our process going and then we keep everybody safe.

“There is something almost poetic about it. It’s strange to think about it … what a year!”.