Coronavirus News: 26-year-old athlete from New Jersey released from hospital after COVID-19 recovery
METUCHEN, New Jersey (WABC) -- A 26-year-old standout athlete from New Jersey is back at home after being released from the hospital following a fight with COVID-19, Governor Phil Murphy said Monday.
Former Ridgewood High School lacrosse star and two-time All-American for Bates College Jack Allard left the hospital last Thursday, Murphy said, five weeks after being admitted and placed on a ventilator.
"For Jack and the hundreds more who have recovered, we're optimistic," Murphy tweeted.
His mother, Genny Allard, previously told Eyewitness News her son had been in a medically induced coma for six days.
"My son is healthy," she said at the time. "No pre-existing conditions and he's 25. This virus is really dangerous, and now he is very, very sick."
For days, Allard suffered a fever after continuing to work in Manhattan.
"He shouldn't have been in his office that week before he got sick," Genny Allard said.
Murphy called Allard a picture of heath and used his story to remind people that while elderly and immune-compromised individuals are at the highest risk, this virus can attack anyone.
"He never vaped, he never smoked," Genny Allard said. "He took his health very seriously, I mean he's an athlete."
MORE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 COVERAGE
UPDATES
Grieving the lost: Tri-State residents who have died
RESOURCES
See how our communities are making a difference
Free educational resources for parents and children
How you can help victims of coronavirus
RELATED INFORMATION
Share your coronavirus story with Eyewitness News
Stimulus check scams and other coronavirus hoaxes
Coronavirus prevention: how clean are your hands?
