The staff at Lok Nayak Hospital and Health Minister Satyendar Jain with 72-year-old Manmohan Singh, Tuesday. (Express photo by Praveen Khanna)

Manmohan Singh (72), one of the oldest patients to have recovered from COVID-19 so far in the capital, was discharged from Lok Nayak Hospital on Tuesday morning. Before he left, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain and hospital staff gathered on the steps to wish him good health.

Singh was admitted to Lok Nayak Hospital on March 31 with symptoms of cold, cough and chest congestion. “He has been suffering from chest congestion for six-seven years now, so we did not suspect he had coronavirus. We tried a few home remedies for cold and cough but in vain,” said his daughter-in-law Taranjeet Kaur.

“When we took him to the general physician, we were told to get a COVID-19 test done from a private lab in Gurgaon. We opted for the home-testing facility. The result came out on March 30; it was positive for coronavirus. This came as a shock as none of us have a recent travel history. In fact, he used to stay at home even before the lockdown,” she said.

Taranjeet said Singh was kept in a private ward for a few days before being shifted to a ward with two-three other patients. “We spoke to him over the phone a few times… We stayed in touch with the doctors, who assured us the situation was under control.”

Singh’s son Preetmohan said the family had sleepless nights as his father suffered from various ailments such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, thyroid and chest congestion: “There was the age factor as well. We had read the elderly with other ailments are more at risk. But on April 3, doctors told us his fever had started coming down.”

“We were informed last night that he would be released today. It is such a relief to have him back home. He is resting and has his breathing tube on,” said Preetmohan.

In a post on Instagram, Jain wrote: “I am relieved to announce that he (Singh) is now in full spirits and has been discharged recently. He fought the virus despite having several underlying problems like high rate of blood pressure, uric acid and cholesterol. Wishing him and his family a healthy journey ahead!”

Lok Nayak Hospital director J C Passey said, “When he was admitted, he tested positive. He had all the symptoms — fever, cough, cold and breathlessness. He received oxygen support at the hospital. After he was admitted, we conducted a test, the results of which were negative. We only discharge people after two tests have been conducted. After the second test result was negative, we decided to discharge him. The message that we want to give is that a 72-year-old with a number of ailments has recovered, so people should remain hopeful.”

On his stay at the hospital, the family said Singh faced a few difficulties as he was not used to sharing a common toilet. “He was also in a common ward and we were concerned about that,” said Taranjeet.