Flight of the COVID-19 patient: experience with a Wuhan evacuee: a case report

J Med Case Rep. 2020 Jun 11;14(1):66. doi: 10.1186/s13256-020-02396-8.

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020.

Case presentation: We report a case of a 51-year-old Chinese woman who was evacuated from Wuhan, China and diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 infection at a Southern California quarantine facility. Her clinical course was notable for high fevers, night sweats, productive cough, transient leukopenia, lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, and transaminitis. Evolving hypoxia and infiltrates on chest imaging warranted the trial of an investigational antiviral drug - remdesivir. Our patient recovered and was discharged after 2 weeks of hospitalization.

Conclusions: This case highlights our patient's clinical course, including diagnostic work-up, medical management, and challenges in defining non-infectivity in a relatively unknown disease.

Keywords: 2019 novel coronavirus; COVID-19; Quarantine; Remdesivir; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adenosine Monophosphate / administration & dosage
  • Adenosine Monophosphate / analogs & derivatives*
  • Alanine / administration & dosage
  • Alanine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Antiviral Agents / administration & dosage
  • Betacoronavirus / isolation & purification
  • Blood Cell Count / methods*
  • COVID-19
  • COVID-19 Testing
  • California / epidemiology
  • China / epidemiology
  • Clinical Laboratory Techniques / methods*
  • Coronavirus Infections* / blood
  • Coronavirus Infections* / diagnosis
  • Coronavirus Infections* / epidemiology
  • Coronavirus Infections* / physiopathology
  • Coronavirus Infections* / therapy
  • Disease Transmission, Infectious / prevention & control
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Liver Function Tests / methods
  • Middle Aged
  • Pandemics*
  • Pneumonia, Viral* / blood
  • Pneumonia, Viral* / diagnosis
  • Pneumonia, Viral* / epidemiology
  • Pneumonia, Viral* / physiopathology
  • Pneumonia, Viral* / therapy
  • Quarantine / methods
  • Radiography, Thoracic / methods*
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents
  • remdesivir
  • Adenosine Monophosphate
  • Alanine