Sergei Naidin who had been hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of April was released from the hospital and is on his way back home. He was released after testing negative for the virus twice in a row.

Naidin is from Barnaul, a city in in the Altai region of Siberia, so he is flying from Moscow to Novosibirsk where his family will pick him up and bring him home.

The gymnast talked to RT about the experience when he was still waiting to be discharged.

A: I am waiting for the results of the third test. I was tested for the first time on March 30th, that test turned out to be positive. The second one was on April 7th and it was negative. I don’t now how the doctors can explain it but the results take a long time to arrive. How could it happen that they’re different? I don’t know, I didn’t get any explanations. I might be discharged on Monday.

Q: Can you talk about your stay at the hospital?

A: I was taken to the hospital right from Novogorsk. My temperature was taken. At first, they were given me some pills for three or four days but when they realized I had no symptoms, they stopped. I didn’t take the pills anyway because I didn’t see any point. I was just sitting and waiting for the test results. The doctors are saying I’m fine.

Q: Valentina Rodionenko said that you were being moved from one room to another all the time.

A: That’s true. The room I’m in now is the fourth one. That’s because many people are being admitted. Some are brought in a bad condition. Since I’m in an isolated room, I don’t see anyone but the doctors are saying the hospital is overflowing. I am really afraid to catch something here. It’d be better if they let me go home. Unfortunately, it take a long time to get the results, I have to wait and be patient. When I’m released, I’ll go home, to Altai. Seems like there shouldn’t be any issues with the restrictions of my movement.

Q: What are you doing at the hospital?

A: I’m training and watching movies. I do push ups and I was brought special rubber bands. So, I do what I can. But, of course, it’s hard to stay alone and wait for the results. The coaches are messaging me and giving assignments. The guys from the team are also trying to support me. Nikita Nagornyy asked how I was doing recently, Artur Dalaloyan messaged me. They are all quarantined. Regarding nutrition, I am brought food from the training center in Novogorsk.

Q: Do you really have no symptoms at all?

A: Yes. It all started like this: at the end of March, the team came to Novogorsk. We were all tested for the coronavirus. My test and the head coach’s turned out positive. But Rodionenko’s two consecutive tests were negative. I wasn’t worried at the time. Honestly, I didn’t even have time to get scared. It’s an illness like any others. Especially since I felt great, I didn’t even have a fever. My wife first didn’t even believe it when she learned I had the coronavirus, she thought it was a joke. And then she got upset.

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