Queens COVID-19 patient off ventilator on partner’s birthday

PIX 11 New York ^ | 3/29/2020 | Mary Murphy

[mmichaels1970]

QUEENS — Brian Zupanick, who marked his 39th birthday alone Sunday, couldn’t believe his ears when a doctor called him from Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan this weekend.

The doctor had some positive news about his long-time partner, John Giarratano, who’d been placed on a ventilator for 13 days, after COVID-19 virus invaded Giarratano’s lungs.

“He’s off the ventilator,” Brian Zupanick told PIX11 with jubilation, as we FaceTimed him to discuss his good piece of news. “I couldn’t ask for a better present, honestly.”

Giarratano—a 42-year-old, freelance TV producer—was the first COVID-19 patient we profiled early last weekend.

His partner, Brian, was desperate to get him the best treatment available.

Giarratano had driven himself to the Mount Sinai affiliate in Oceanside, Long Island on Friday, March 13, a week after he first developed a fever.

He had no underlying medical conditions, yet by very early Sunday, March 15, he was being intubated and placed on a ventilator to breathe.

Giarratano’s COVID-19 test results were very delayed, but the president of Mt. Sinai and an infectious disease doctor were able to get Giarratano on the experimental treatment, Remdesivir—before it became almost impossible to access, because of overwhelming demand.

After the initial treatments with Remdesivir, Giarratano was stable enough for transfer to the flagship Mt. Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, where his partner told us Giarratano received another experimental drug, Hydroxychloroquine.

“Something worked obviously, because he really wasn’t doing well,” Zupanick said.

“In the last four days, he started moving in a positive direction,” Zupanick said. “It was absolutely a miracle. I feel as though it was divine intervention from the very beginning.”

“I believe in God, and I believe God has answered my prayers. I really, truly do,” Zupanick told PIX11. “Because it was bad.”

Zupanick is profusely thanking the doctors at both Mt. Sinai hospitals for taking such good care of his partner.

“They’re actually quite happy and surprised with how well he’s done,” Zupanick said. “I want to see him!”

[higgmeister]

That’s not what the drs, CDC and NIH are reporting. The mucous builds-up so fast from the scarring, that the victim drowns in it, allowing no air into the lungs, during the illness. There is no “after”, in many, many cases.

If a patient is dead there is no scarring, so your argument is moot.

If they live there might be scarring but a scar heals over time.

I hope you haven't smoked for 55 years and only intended to say you are a fifty five year old smoker.

I smoked for about 12 years and quit about 35 years ago. I never documented my stop date and now cannot celebrate that great event. I suggest if you quit you should write down the date. I was able to quit cold turkey and substituted gum. I made one of those gum wrapper chains to keep my hands occupied. I think it was about fifteen feet long before I stopped that.