After waking up from a month-long coma battling Covid-19, Bayan Kimamao chose an unorthodox method to let his friends and family know he had survived the traumatic ordeal.
A few hours after regaining consciousness in a hospital in Dubai, the 50-year-old propped himself up in bed – and took a selfie.
"I sent that selfie with all the tubes in my body, with the tracheostomy and everything. I sent it to everyone to tell them that I am OK, I am alive again,” Mr Kimamao said.
The Filipino nursing supervisor contracted the disease while testing new detainees at Dubai Central Prison for the virus.
When he deteriorated, we had no hope. We thought we were going to lose him
On April 17, while walking into work, a thermal scanner detected that his temperature was higher than average.
Staff are frequently tested for Covid-19, but it had been six days since Mr Kimamao's last nose swab. He was taken to a rapid testing centre and, within four hours, it was confirmed that he had contracted the virus.
He had no other symptoms aside from the fever.
"When I came to the hospital, I went with my car. I parked my car in the hospital parking and I admitted myself. I lay down in the bed and they gave me oxygen," he said.
"The next day they gave me breakfast. But after the breakfast I don't know what happened and then I can't remember anything. They sedated me and I was unconscious until I woke up on May 20."
Mr Kimamao is not sure what happened over those next four weeks but his doctors told him he was moved to intensive care and placed on a ventilator. His kidneys then began to shut down and he was placed on dialysis.
In severe cases, Covid-19 causes inflammation of the lungs and leads to pneumonia.
Fluid collects in the lungs, limiting the amount of oxygen that can be supplied to the organs through the blood. This can lead to the failure of vital organs and dramatically increases the risk of death.
"Apparently you have nice, butterfly dreams while unconscious," said Mr Kimamao.
"But for me it was a nightmare. I was swimming in jellylike water and I was always drowning. I [thought] the respiratory nurse and the pulmonologist were calling to me, [saying] 'Bayan, Bayan, Bayan, wake up', and then I swim again and I drown again.
"Maybe I was nearly drowning and that's why I could hear them."
The day he woke up, he remembers little else other than his medical team crowding around his bed, telling him he was a "survivor". It took him a few more days to gather the strength to lift his head and respond.
His colleagues at Dubai Police, where he has worked for 26 years, received daily updates on his condition.
"On a daily basis we were checking on him and we were in contact with the hospital,” said Dr Ali Sengel, health consultant at Dubai Police and colleague of Mr Kimamao.
"But when he deteriorated, we had no hope. We thought we were going to lose him."
When Mr Kimamao sent his photo to the nursing team's WhatsApp group, his colleagues were floored.
"It's clear that God did not forget him,” said Dr Sengel.
"We were all so happy. We love this guy and he works so hard. He has a soft heart, he is so polite and so humble. He grew up in Dubai Police, we all know him so well.”
Over the next three days, Mr Kimamao’s lungs were drained of remaining fluid and he had to rely on sign language to communicate.
His medical team, which included a physiotherapist, pulmonologist, dialysis doctor and respiratory therapist, helped him move about his bed and eventually get to his feet.
In the early stages of his recovery, he suffered panic attacks and uncontrolled anger towards the hospital staff. He believes it was a result of the trauma he had endured.
Mr Kimamao was due to be discharged on Friday, June 5, but was kept in for an extra few days due to an infection in his catheter.
He was discharged on Monday, after an almost eight-week stay. But he had fairly simple plans for when he returns home.
"Maybe clean my room, do a little bit of exercise and then I will sterilise my room for the virus," he said. He plans to visit his nephew and cousin, who also live in Dubai. The rest of his family are in The Philippines.
He credits American Hospital Dubai with "excellent" care during his recovery, and said the support of Dubai Police was "amazing". He is keen to get back to work as soon as he can.
"If I could go tomorrow, I would. I am very strong I am very confident that I can do everything again," he said.
Dubai Police has ensured his entire hospital stay is paid for, Dr Sengel said, and they would be encouraging him to take as much time off as he needs.
Mr Kimamao urged anyone who has Covid-19 symptoms to seek medical advice, as early as possible.
"If you feel any symptoms, don't disregard it – you must check right away for Covid, because earlier is better than what happened to me," he said.
"God gave me a second life, no one expected me to live."
About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
The years Ramadan fell in May
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Profile box
Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
Specs%3A%202024%20McLaren%20Artura%20Spider
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V6%20and%20electric%20motor%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20power%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20700hp%20at%207%2C500rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20torque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20720Nm%20at%202%2C250rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eight-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E0-100km%2Fh%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.0sec%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETop%20speed%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E330kph%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh1.14%20million%20(%24311%2C000)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPowertrain%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20electric%20motor%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E201hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E310Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E53kWh%20lithium-ion%20battery%20pack%20(GS%20base%20model)%3B%2070kWh%20battery%20pack%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E350km%20(GS)%3B%20480km%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C900%20(GS)%3B%20Dh149%2C000%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
States of Passion by Nihad Sirees,
Pushkin Press
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
