Gregg Garfield, dubbed as "patient zero," managed to win the battle against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but lost almost all his fingers.

Fifty-four-year old Garfield from Los Angeles lost all his right fingers and the majority of his left digits after being put on a ventilator for 31 days as a treatment for coronavirus. 

Garfield was the first person diagnosed at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center. He was also one of the first recorded diagnosis in California, according to The Sun.

After two months of spending his days in the hospital, Garfield shared his story for others to realize that they should take the virus seriously. Garfield suffered severe complications like amputation of most of his fingers, as per KTLA.

COVID-19 Survivor Lost Most of His Fingers Due to Complication
(Photo : Youtube Screenshot (KTLA News))
A man who spent two months in a Burbank hospital while being treated for COVID-19 is sharing his story as a warning for others to take the virus seriously — after he suffered severe complications, including the amputation of most of his fingers. Christina Pascucci reports for KTLA 5 News on July 24, 2020.

According to The Sun, patient zero got infected while skiing during a trip in Northern Italy in February. The poor man faces multiple surgeries to save his hands. Last Friday, Garfield was discharged from the hospital as he recovered from the illness. The COVID-19 survivor warned others that they might meet the same fate. 

Garfield told KTLA that he survived it and is now doing fantastic. He wanted his experience to serve as a lesson to others. "My hands are never going to be the same. I don't have fingers anymore. This can happen to you," patient zero said.

Stephanie Garfield Bruno, sister of Garfield, described their horrible experience through a GoFundMe account that she made to raise $200,000 for Garfield's prosthetics.

In the GoFundMe account, Bruno said Garfield's body became septic. He was put on CRRT dialysis as his kidneys failed. Also, he needed medications to divert his blood-flow to his major organs for survival as his blood pressure plummeted. The complications left Garfield's hands and feet starving for circulation.

Bruno also said that Garfield's lungs collapsed four times, and he needed chest tube insertion. Garfield developed secondary infections, which are common to hospital environments.

Patient zero had one percent chance of survival during that time. The doctors and nurses remain three steps ahead of potential disasters that might happen because Garfield's room took about 15-minutes to gear up.

Doctor David Kulber, a surgeon of Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles said due to blood-flow issues triggered by the deadly bug, Garfield lost his fingers.

To reconstruct Garfield's fingers, he will have at least six operations, as per KTLA. Kulber said surgeons would create prosthetics for his fingers to help Garfield's fingers function like a bionic hand.

The cost of the procedures could be more than $2 million for his two-month stay. The insurance covered most of Garfield's bill, but the prosthetics are not included. 

The GoFundMe account created for Garfield has raised more than $200,000 to help him with his medical expenses. Garfield and his girlfriend A.J Johnson have a message for the people to take coronavirus seriously and wear face masks.

"It should not be political. We need to come together as humans," Johnson said. 

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