Olympic silver medallist Araujo 'improving' after COVID-19 scare

Less than a day after being turned away from overwhelmed hospitals in Brazil's northeastern city of Fortaleza, Araujo said on Sunday some of his symptoms had eased, though he was still encountering breathing difficulties, reports Xinhua news agency.

"I almost died on Friday night," the 46-year-old told Globo Esporte. "I'm still having a hard time breathing but at least I no longer have fever, maybe because I'm on medication. My headache has now subsided and I feel like I'm improving"

Araujo said he has attempted to protect his pregnant wife and two daughters from contagion by isolating himself in their home.

"I'm in a room, getting food under the door. It's a crazy situation. But I'm surviving, taking a cocktail of prescribed medication."

Araujo won the silver medal in the men's beach volleyball competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, partnering Fabio Magalhaes.

The pair secured the gold medal at the 2005 world championships in Berlin, Germany.

Brazil is the worst-affected South American nation by the coronavirus outbreak with more than 159,000 confirmed cases and over 10,900 deaths to date.