Man Hugs Daughters For First Time In 84 Days After COVID Recovery

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY — March 24 was the best day of the year for 39-year-old Alfredo Hercules. It was the first time since he was diagnosed with coronavirus on Jan. 2 that he was able to hug his daughters.

Hercules, of Hewlett, was admitted to Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre on Jan. 12, where he has been for 72 days. Yesterday, he finally got to hug his daughters, 9-year-old Isabel and 7-year-old Safiah. He had been looking forward to the day, and was calling it "hug day."

Though he was discharged, doctors said Hercules is still recovering from the toll the coronavirus took on his body. He is hypoxic, which means he isn't getting enough oxygen, and was sent home with an oxygen tank.

“Alfredo was in bad shape when he came to us," said Dr. Perry Stein, one of the doctors who treated Herculues. "When you have COVID-19 and it affects your breathing it can be torture, but Alfredo pushed himself every single day. He showed incredible perseverance and resilience and I give him full credit for pushing himself to this point.”