Coronavirus: John Hunter Hospital staff applaud Ron Mansfield for beating COVID-19 after Ruby Princess cruise

There were doctors and nurses lining the corridor, clapping, and a bell was ringing as he walked out of the designated isolation ward at John Hunter Hospital.

The great-grandfather, 84, had survived COVID-19, and after more than 30 days in hospital, he was going home.

It was cause for celebration.

"I nearly died of shock wondering what it was all about," he laughed.

"The doctors and nurses were all standing down the corridor as a nurse and I walked out.

"The staff were all outstanding. I'd love to be able to thank them all.

"It's no exaggeration, they saved my life. They did."

Mr Mansfield said he had just made his wife, Maureen, a fresh cup of coffee at their Lake Macquarie home on March 19 when he suddenly dropped to the floor.

"I just collapsed," he said.

When he woke, Maureen was trying to make him comfortable.

She called an ambulance.

"They took me to John Hunter," he said.

"I just didn't feel right ... They took us straight up to F2 - the contagious ward."

The couple had just returned from a long-awaited round trip to New Zealand.

At 5am on March 19, their cruise ship - the ill-fated Ruby Princess - had docked in Sydney.

"Usually when you come off a boat you go through customs and it usually takes a good hour before you get down to the taxis. But we were down there within minutes," he said.

"They got us off quick. Too quick I think."

From there, the Mansfields had caught a taxi to Central Station, then the 9.45am train to Cardiff.

A cab had taken them the rest of the way home.

Mr Mansfield was admitted to hospital the next day.

"When they found out we'd been on the boat, they got me up to the isolation ward pretty quick," he said.

"I was out of my head, I didn't know where I was. I could have been unconscious, I don't know.

"All I know is I woke up in the hospital with doctors and nurses all around me.

"And consequently, after just on 30 days, I came out."

The Ruby Princess has since been linked to more than 650 cases of COVID-19 in passengers, and 21 deaths.

At one point last month, the ship was linked to about one in 10 cases of coronavirus in Australia.

A Special Commission of Inquiry this week began investigating the events which led to the disembarkation of 2700 passengers, some of whom were infected with COVID-19.

NSW police have launched a criminal investigation into whether the operator of the Ruby Princess downplayed potential coronavirus cases before thousands of passengers disembarked in Sydney.

The ship left Port Kembla on April 23, about five weeks after it docked in Sydney.

Mr Mansfield wanted to thank the nurses and doctors who had cared for him during the frightening ordeal.

"I was scared. Of course I was," he said.

"It was very hard to breathe. I couldn't breathe much at all. I had oxygen on, I had everything on me, really."

Mr Mansfield was unconscious for several days, but did not require ventilation.

"I didn't know I had the virus until after I came to. I was talking to the nurse and she said I had a virus.

"I said, 'Is it that new one?' And she said, 'Yeah'.

"The staff were all outstanding. They looked after me extremely well.

"All you could really see was their eyes.

"They had big plastic outfits on from head to toe.

"They'd come in, look after me, then go out.

"Then another one would come in later on, dressed up the same way.

"They weren't scared at all. They had to do their duty, and they did their duty.

"They were wonderful."

Mr Mansfield said they had been denied entry to several ports in New Zealand on the Ruby Princess, and the cruise ship had returned to Sydney two days earlier than expected.

"There was no mention of the virus on the ship. No mention whatsoever," he said. "I don't think anybody really knew what was happening."

Mr Mansfield said he was lucky he had no underlying health conditions.

But after COVID-19, his heart was not as strong as it had been.

"I was in a pretty bad way at one stage," he said.

"They did tests on me everyday. Tests up the nose and down the throat. But after all my treatment I was lucky enough to be able to come home, alive.

"I want to double-thank all of the nurses and the doctors for what they've done for me. They have given me my life back, which is great.

"If they came here, I'd make them a cup of coffee."

Mrs Mansfield, who has a lung condition, was lucky to avoid the virus.

While Mr Mansfield was in hospital, she had to self-isolate alone at home.

"I was worried sick," she said. "I just had to sit, and sit it out. I went through hell.

"I couldn't go in and see him. I couldn't do a blasted thing."

She had friends, and friend's of family, dropping food to her letterbox.

Julie Tait, acting director of the Nursing and Midwifery at John Hunter Hospital, said every time a patient was discharged from the COVID ward, a bell was sounded to alert staff to the good news.

"The staff are thrilled when someone is well enough to go home, and they have made it a bit of a tradition to ring the bell now," she said.

"People happily meet to offer a round of applause as people leave the ward."

Ms Tait said she had been "humbled" by the response of nurses, midwives, doctors, clerical and allied health staff to COVID-19.

"It has been phenomenal," she said.

"The nursing staff, in particular, have been inspirational.

"They haven't hesitated to do things that are outside what they would do normally... I've also never seen the acknowledgement our staff are getting.

"We have had members of the community turn up with 200-odd pizzas for the staff for lunch.

"We've even been getting letters from kids and boxes of chocolates.

"It has been wonderful."

While you're with us, did you know the Newcastle Herald offers breaking news alerts, daily email newsletters and more? Keep up to date with all the local news - sign up here