Coronavirus Doctor Whose Skin Turned Dark After Treatment Sees Colour Start To Return To Normal

A Chinese doctor whose skin pigmentation changed after he fell sick with COVID-19 has seen the colour of his skin slowly turn back to normal.

Dr Yi Fan, who got the deadly virus while he was treating patients in January, was allowed to leave hospital in Wuhan eventually last week, after beating the infection.

According to sources, his skin tone was changed because of a drug he had received during treatment.

Recent video footage of Dr Yi shows the medic looking much healthier and like his old self on 9 May.

Prof Duan Jun, the deputy director of the Department of Critical Care Medicine at China-Japan Friendship Hospital, said the medical team had given Dr Yi a last-resort antibiotic, during his treatment.

Beijing TV

He told state news channel CCTV that the drug had made Dr Yi's body suffer from hyper-pigmentation, but that it would disappear as they recovered.

In the past, doctors had thought that the changes in their skin colour was caused by hormonal imbalances after his liver had been damaged by the virus - a commonly reported complication.

Dr Yi was also admitted with his colleague Dr Hu, both of whom were diagnosed with coronavirus on 18 January.

They are also worked with late whistle-blower Li Wenliang, who was cautioned by police for sounding the alarm of the virus but then died of the disease on 7 February.

Both Dr Yi Fan and Dr Hu were taken to the Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital, before being transferred to Tongji Hospital's Zhongfa Xincheng - as reported by CCTV.

Dr Yi, who was a cardiologist at the hospital, started to improve after being attached to a life support machine, known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) - for 39 days.

CCTV

ECMO is an extreme form of life-support procedure, which emulates the both the heart and lungs by pumping oxygen into the blood outside the body.

Dr Yi told the Chinese state news outlet that battling the disease had left him traumatised to a degree.

He told a reporter: "When I first gained conscious, especially after I got to know about my condition, I felt scared. I had nightmares often."

He said that doctors had arranged therapy for him to try to overcome the psychological effects of fighting the disease head-on.

Topics: World News, Coronavirus

Amelia Ward

Amelia is a journalist at LADbible. After studying journalism at Liverpool John Moores and Salford Uni (don't ask), she went into PR and then the world of music. She spent a few years working on festivals and events before joining LADbible. In her spare time, Amelia likes music and spending good, quality time with her cat, Paul. You can contact Amelia at [email protected].

@ameliasward