Kate Garraway's husband Derek's six-month coronavirus battle becomes longest in UK
The Good Morning Britain presenter's beloved husband Derek Draper has been fighting COVID-19 since March 28 and has just spent his 184th day in hospital
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Kate Garraway 's husband Derek Draper has just become the UK patient to be battling coronavirus in hospital for the longest time.
The Good Morning Britain presenter and her family have faced a gruelling six months ever since her beloved Derek was hospitalised on March 28.
He's just spent his 184th day in hospital, where he's been in and out of intensive care and spent months in an induced coma.
According to The Sun, he is now the longest-surviving coronavirus victim in the UK who is still receiving treatment in hospital.
In August, patient Fatima Bridle returned home after spending a then record-breaking 141 days in hospital, including 105 on aa ventilator.
Kate's friend told the publication: "Kate has been so brave and her strength is awe-inspiring.
"But the truth is that progress is very, very slow. Derek has now been hospitalised for six months which makes him one of only a handful of people who have been in hospital for this long.
"It’s incredibly tough for Kate though because some days he shows signs of improvement, and then 24 hours later he has taken a worrying turn for the worse. It’s literally one step forward, two steps back."
They added that Kate is in disbelief that Derek has been in hospital for so long, but that the fact his fight continues gives her hope when so many people have lost their lives to the pandemic.
Heartbroken Kate hasn't been able to visit Derek, the father of her two children Darcey and Billy, on a regular basis because of restrictions imposed by the pandemic.
Doctors and hospital staff have been helping out by FaceTiming Kate from Derek's bedside.
Derek fell ill in March with symptoms of COVID-19 and tested positive.
He was admitted to intensive care where he was put on a ventilator and spent several weeks in intensive care before being woken from his induced coma in July.
Ever since then, he's been in a state of "minimum consciousness" and hasn't yet said his first word.
Derek has lost a staggering eight stone while battling the virus and has had other health scares, including falls in his blood pressure.
Kate has previously said: "I have been living at the end of the phone 24/7, waiting for news of Derek.
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