Howie Severino reveals COVID-19 battle

Howie Severino during his confinement.

GMA News and Public Affairs pillar Howie Severino has revealed his battle with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In a first person essay published on GMA News Online, the I-Witness documentarist said he spent 11 days in the hospital with "a bout of pneumonia and a major scare."

"I am one of the lucky ones who have been able to go home, resume a semblance of my former life, and live to tell the tale," he wrote.

"It’s a tale of long painful needles that couldn’t find a vein in my hands, the shwabs down my throat that made me gag, the torture of long sleep deprivation, and the team of doctors who formed a Viber group to discuss updates on my case and the experimental drug chloroquine that worked on patients elsewhere and eventually worked on me."

In his essay, he also wrote about tips for dealing with the crisis from the point of view of a survivor, from the need for transparency to tips for dealing with loneliness and isolation.

"COVID-19 need not be a death sentence. I am living proof. A combination of good fortune, physical fitness and competent medical treatment probably saved my life," he wrote.

Read the full essay here.

Amid his COVID-19 recovery, Howie remained busy, even writing a piece for GMA News Online about reading and book recommendations during the quarantine.

--JST, GMA News