NYC emergency room doctor on recovering from coronavirus, returning to work
After recovering from the coronavirus, Dr. Omar Maniya returns to the emergency room at Elmhurst Hospital in New York, one of the hardest-hit facilities.
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New York Dr. Omar Maniya said on Friday that new coronavirus cases at Elmhurst Hospital's makeshift intensive care unit in Queens have plummeted, proving that “social distancing” is working.
“It's a different world. Two weeks ago, our hospitals were packed. We were worried about running out of ventilators, we’re building all this surge capacity. The tent, the ship, the convention center, and the makeshift ICU,” Maniya, an emergency room doctor, told “America’s Newsroom.”
“Fast forward two weeks later to yesterday, I’m happy to report that the [overflow] ICU space is now empty and that’s great. The new cases coming into the hospital are plummeting."
NEW YORK CORONAVIRUS CURVE 'FLATTENING,' CUOMO SAYS AS STATE SEES HIGHEST SINGLE DAY DEATH TOLL
Maniya’s comments came after New York’s Elmhurst Hospital reached a breaking point amid the coronavirus crisis — with 13 patients dying there in a 24-hour span, officials said on March 26.
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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that all non-essential businesses and workers must remain home during the coronavirus outbreak through at least May 15.
The decision comes as Cuomo and other governors in the region are trying to coordinate the reopening of their state’s economies. New York reported 606 new deaths Thursday, down from 752 the previous day. Total hospitalizations are also down, while the number of new ICU admissions is “down significantly for the first time”, according to Cuomo.
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Maniya contracted the coronavirus and also transmitted it to his wife. He has since gone back to work after recovering and his wife is also feeling better.
"This tragedy killed more people in New York City than 9/11 and so I think it's important to put this into context. Yes, things are getting better -- that's great but we still have a long way to go," Maniya said, adding that he felt "terrible" for four days while he battled the infection.
He said he had a "milder case," but still experienced a cough, high fever, muscle aches and a loss of his sense of smell and taste.
Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this report.