Two Chinese doctors from Wuhan have seen their skin turn dark after they were critically ill with COVID-19. Dr. Yi Fan and Dr. Hu Weifang, both 42-years-old, caught the coronavirus while they were treating patients at the Wuhan Central Hospital in January.

According to their doctor, their unusual skin color is said to be caused by hormonal imbalances after their livers were damaged by the virus. Dr. Yi and Dr. Hu are colleagues with late whistle-blower Li Wenliang, who was punished by Chinese authorities for spreading the real situation of the outbreak in the country. Dr. Li died of the coronavirus on February 7.

The two medics, Dr. Yi and Dr. Hu were both diagnosed on January 18. They were taken to the Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital and then transferred to Tongji Hospital's Zhongfa Xincheng branch, according to the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. 

The condition of the doctors

Dr. Yi, a cardiologist, was able to recover from COVID-19 after doctors hooked him to a life-support machine called ECMO for 39 days. ECMO is a life-support procedure that replaces the function of the heart and the lungs by pumping oxygen into the blood outside the body.

He talked to the CCTV from his hospital bed on April 20 and he said he had recovered. He could now move in bed normally, but he is still finding it difficult to walk on his own and still needs assistance. Dr. Yi stated that battling with the coronavirus had traumatized him to a certain degree. He said that when he first gained consciousness, he felt scared and had nightmares often.

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Dr. Yi is now trying to overcome the psychological effects of his experience. He stated that doctors often comforted him and had arranged counseling for him, he is not transferred to an ordinary ward.

Road to recovery

A doctor from Beijing, Dr. Zhan Qingyuan from China-Japan Friendship Hospital, treated Dr. Yi and Dr. Hu. He checked on them before he and his team left Wuhan and returned to Beijing. Dr. Hu was not able to talk to the reporters due to his poor health, but he expressed his gratitude to Dr. Zhan by shaking his hands.

Unlike Dr. Yi, Dr. Hu's condition is much worse. The urologist has been in bed for 99 days and his overall health is weak, according to Dr. Li Shusheng who looked after Dr. Hu. Seeing the doctor's condition, Dr. Shusheng expressed his concern about the mental health of Dr. Hu. He said that the doctor could not stop talking to those who come to check on him.

Dr. Hu underwent ECMO therapy from February 7 to March 22 and he regained his ability to speak on April 11. He is still being looked after in the intensive care units in the same hospital as Dr. Yi.

Dr. Li stated that the two ill doctors' skin turned dark due to a type of medicine that they had received at the beginning of the treatment. He added that one of the drug's side effects is the darkening of the skin color. He did not name the drug used by the doctors although Dr. Li expected both medics' skin color to return to normal once their condition improves.

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