COVID-19: Football star Fellaini released from hospital

By Emre Asikci

ANKARA (AA) - Former Everton and Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini was discharged from a Chinese hospital Tuesday after testing positive for COVID-19 late last month.

"The time has come for me to thank from the bottom of my heart, the medical staff of the hospital, their nursing staff as well as my Club and its medical staff for taking such good care of me with so much kindness and for ensuring my comfort whilst there," said Fellaini, who plays for Shandong Luneng in China.

Fellaini, 32, helped Belgium to a bronze medal at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

According to the National Health Commission of China (NHC), the tally of coronavirus cases stands at 82,249 cases with 3,341 deaths, while 77,738 have recovered.

More than 1.94 million COVID-19 cases have been reported in 185 countries and regions since the virus emerged in China last December, with Europe and the U.S. being the worst-hit areas.

Nearly 123,000 patients have died and almost 468,000 have recovered, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.