Cuban mountaineer confirms being positive for Covid19 after announcing the cancellation of his expedition to Everest

Yandy Nunez, the Cuban mountaineer who proposed to put the Cuban flag at the top of Mount Everest, confirmed that he tested positive for Covid19, which is why he had to abandon your expedition.

In a publication on its official website The Cuban Mountaineer, Núñez said that on May 19 he suffered a sort of faint that prevented him from continuing on his way to Camp 3. “My body fainted and my strength completely went to the ground, I couldn't move without help.”

According to his Facebook posts, he began to feel unwell around May 16. This is how he had reached Camp 2 of Everest, which is located at 6,480 meters above sea level and where he needed oxygen on more than one occasion., thinking that the discomfort and shortness of breath he was experiencing was due to an asthma attack.

Some symptoms of coronavirus can be confused with symptoms of mountain sickness. At higher altitudes, there is less oxygen circulation and more shortness of breath, which can complicate the clinical picture and end in a fatal outcome. The development of pneumonia can also occur in mountain climbers, exposed to freezing temperatures and strong physical activity.

Núñez's rescue was only possible two days later, on May 21, by helicopter. That same day, the Cuban announced on his social networks that his expedition was canceled: “I am in Kathmandu out of danger. I'm fine, I'll give more details soon. “Nothing to worry about,” he said then.

Once transferred to the Kathmandu hospital, the tests confirmed that he was positive for Covid19 and “pneumonia in the right lung,” the Cuban said in his most recent publication.

The mountaineer clarified that, despite his discomfort, ““I never wavered in my desires and dreams of conquering Everest and reaching Camp 2, but one can never confuse a dream with health, life and family.”, and thanked his wife “who coordinated all the possible rescues and best ways for me to get to the hospital and recover.”

“My peak is in my house with you,” he said in English, referring to his wife and son in Iceland. Regarding his dream of summiting Everest, the Cuban added that he would have to wait. The current climbing season in the Himalayas ends at the end of this month.

On May 23, several media outlets reported around a hundred cases of Covid19 among mountaineers and the evacuation of several groups of climbers. At the same time, meteorological services predicted a cyclone that would affect the Himalayan area with strong winds and snowfall.

The health situation in Nepal has become complicated in recent weeks. This Monday the newspaper The Himalayan Times reported 7,220 new diagnosed cases and 185 deaths from coronavirus.