Scars of Covid persist for sickest survivors, families

Freddy Fernandez almost wasn't here, on his couch in his Missouri home, his baby on his lap, gnawing on the pulse oximeter that he uses to check his oxygen levels after a months-long bout with Covid-19.

The 41-year-old father of six spent five months hospitalized a four-hour drive away from the couple's home in the southwest Missouri town of Carthage on the most intense life support available. He nearly died repeatedly and now he — like so many that survived Covid-19 hospitalizations — has returned home changed.