Tsang Yee-ting (front) with teammates Lee Chun-ho and Chau Ka-him while training in France. Photo: Handout
Source:
https://scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3080445/coronavirus-leading-hong-kong-karate-athlete Health & Environment
Coronavirus: leading Hong Kong karate athlete kicks Covid-19 after nearly month-long fight
- Tsang Yee-ting tested positive after returning from a training camp in France, where she was getting ready to qualify for the Olympics
- The two-time Asian Games representative describes exhausting weeks of treatment, but has a message of encouragement for residents
Hong Kong karate athlete Tsang Yee-ting strikes a pose while recovering in hospital from Covid-19. Photo: Handout
A Hong Kong karate athlete who tested positive for the coronavirus after returning from a training camp in Europe has been discharged following nearly a month of treatment at hospitals in the city. What does she want to do first? Take a hot shower, eat a big hamburger and then go for a run.
Tsang Yee-ting, 27, was excited to learn she could finally go home, but admitted she felt drained by the ordeal. “I was just told by a nurse at 9.30pm that my stool test was negative,” she told the Post on Thursday night. “I will go home to take a shower and then order a burger to fill me up. I will go running the next day.”
But Tsang, a two-time Asian Games representative, added: “I would be lying if I say I haven’t felt down these days, but the key is to face the situation with a positive attitude.”
Tsang and her karate team were at a training camp in France as part of their preparations to qualify for the Games. Originally scheduled to take place in Japan between July and August, the Games have been rescheduled to 2021, due to the pandemic.
“We were supposed to stay in France for training and games till May, but the spread of the pandemic there was so severe that we had no other choice but to return to Hong Kong,” Tsang said.
They arrived in the city on March 15, and her teammate Lee Chun-ho tested positive for Covid-19 on March 18. Two days later, Tsang was confirmed infected, and eventually two more members of the group, Chau Ka-him and French coach Rida Bel-Lahsen, tested positive.
The athlete kept up her daily exercise while recovering in hospital. Photo: Handout
Tsang spent 12 days at Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin and was sent to Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital in Tai Po, where she underwent treatment for 17 days.
She experienced muscle discomfort, diarrhoea, and a loss of taste and smell, which left her physically and mentally exhausted. But she remained focused, she said.
“I never give up easily on anything,” says Tsang Yee-ting. Photo: Handout
“Being an athlete myself, I never give up easily on anything. I think there is always hope, and one day I can win the battle,” she said.
Her nasal swab tests started turning negative after more than 10 days in hospital, but her stool tests came back positive until April 13, she said.
Her family and friends helped her throughout the ordeal, with her mother cooking for her when she had time, Tsang said. Her boyfriend spoke with her every day to help keep her spirits up.
She thanked medical staff for taking good care of her in hospital, and other patients for encouraging her through the difficult time.
“These days mean a lot to me, and will always be an important page in my life,” she said.
She appealed to the public to remain at home and take precautions during the fight against the pandemic. “Add oil, Hongkongers,” she said, using a local phrase of encouragement.