Nurse returns to Queen Alexandra Hospital on birthday after recovering from Covid-19

Kate Bugtong, from Portsmouth, started suffering symptoms of coronavirus on April 14, including fever and headaches, but as her shortness of breath worsened, she was admitted to hospital eight days later where she was put on oxygen.

The nurse, who returned to work on Wednesday on her birthday at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in the Hampshire city, said she was offered dexamethasone as part of a trial being conducted alongside other treatments for her symptoms.

She said: ‘I am happy that I was able to take it, at first I was a bit hesitant about it, naturally.’

Ms Bugtong, from the Philippines, said that when she was discharged on April 29, she was still suffering from shortness of breath but her symptoms had improved.

On returning to work on the hospital's renal ward, she said: ‘I feel a mixture of everything to be back, I feel happy because I have been isolated for a bit long already but I am still adjusting because there are many changes.

‘And it's my birthday actually, so it's a half-half celebration, but I haven't been back to work for a long time so I said I would go back, I'm happy to be back.’

She added: ‘I am so happy and grateful I was able to take part in the Recovery trial. I experienced symptoms and later had to be admitted for breathing difficulties.

‘Thanks to the trial and the team I am back at work.’

The Recovery trial has shown dexamethasone to be the first treatment proven to reduce mortality in Covid-19 worldwide. It reduced deaths by one third in ventilated patients and by one fifth in patients requiring oxygen.

The Research and Innovation department at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust recruited 117 patients to the trial, making it the seventh-largest contributor in the UK out of 176 sites.

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.