Coronavirus survivor: 'I thought I was going to die'

By Omer Faruk Salman

KAHRAMANMARAS, Turkey (AA) - Suleyman Ipbuken, a Turkish citizen who recovered from the coronavirus, says he thought he will die at the hospital.

The 55-year-old recalled he went to the hospital on March 23 due to difficulty in breathing and cough.

Due to his underlying lung disease and diabetes, he was afraid of contracting COVID-19.

When his tests came out positive, he was quarantined in the hospital.

"I stayed in the hospital for 16 days. The paramedics took me for tomography every two to three days. I was given blood plasma and medications continuously. I got better with those drugs," he said.

Ipbuken said whenever his friends called him to ask about his health in the hospital, he thought he was going to die.

He warned people to take the pandemic seriously and exercise social distancing rules and wear masks.

"My schoolmate was a doctor in this hospital. He died from the illness," he added.

Turkey's tally of infections is at 253,108, recoveries 233,915, and deaths 6,039.

* Writing by Fahri Aksut in Ankara