People are increasingly getting depressed and scared about the deadly corona virus. But some amazing stories of recoveries should lift our morale and also immunity, especially when scientists say the older people have higher risks. We list out 10 recoveries of old people.
- 101-year old in Rimini from Italy
A 101-year-old man in Rimini has beaten the virus and is back home now. He has proved those doom-sayers wrong. Incidentally, he was born during the Spanish flu epidemic in 1919. The patient identified as Mr P was hospitalised and he was discharged after a week.
“At 101 years, he lived almost entirely through the past century and then had a glimpse of the new millennium. He has seen everything: war, hunger, pain, progress, crisis and resurrections. And then at the age of over 100 years, fate brought him this new challenge, invisible and terrible at the same time,” said the vice mayor of the town.
Though experts say that those above the age of 70 have higher risk, Italy has reported several cases of people aged more than 90 and 80 recovering from the disease.
2. Kerala sets another example
Kerala made a concerted and all-out effort to save 93-year-old Thomas and his 88-year-old wife Mariamma, giving a big hope to all. The two hailing from Pathanamthitta were in the high-risk category. They recovered fully and were discharged.
They were infected by their son and his family who had returned from Italy during the last week of February. Apart from the regular age-related illnesses, they had diabetes and hypertension. For several days, Thomas had to be put on the ventilator as his condition deteriorated.
And salute also to the team effort, right from state Minister to the medical staff. Seven doctors and 25 nursing staff members were part of the team that had treated the elderly couple.
3. 90-year-old lady from Seattle
A 90-year-old woman who contracted coronavirus at Life Care Center senior care facility in Seattle has recovered. Life Care Center experienced a massive spread of the virus in mid-February.
Named Geneva Wood, she was tested positive for coronavirus on March 6.When Wood tested positive for COVID-19, the family was “stricken, and in shock,” and “mad.” Wood, however had a different outlook. “I’m going to fight this for my family and make everyone proud.” And she did.
“Never underestimate the power of thoughts and prayers! Keep it up, it’s working!” the daughter wrote.
4. Chinese couple
A 98-year-old Chinese scientist and his 85-year-old wife were among those early recoveries from China, the epicentre of the disease. They recovered from the coronavirus on the same day after being treated for 18 days. The scientist, Han Tianqi, has been a well-respected astronomer for 63 years.
Mr Han and his wife were diagnosed with the deadly disease in mid-February and transferred to the provincial hospital on February 24 after their conditions worsened. They were sent straight to the Intensive Care Units as the couple were in critical condition. Mr and Mrs Han also suffered other complications caused by multiple underlying health conditions, the hospital told the press.
5. 103-year-old Chinese woman
A 103-year-old woman from China has become the oldest person to beat coronavirus and return home. Zhang Guangfen recovered from the disease after receiving treatment for just six days at a hospital in Wuhan.
She had no underlying health conditions apart from mild chronic bronchitis, her doctor Dr Zeng Yulan told reporters. She was diagnosed on 1 March. The grandmother has become the oldest person to recover from the deadly disease so far – days after a 101-year-old man also beat the virus in Wuhan.
A 100-year-old man with Alzheimer’s disease, hypertension and heart failure also recovered from the virus in Wuhan this week after being treated by military doctors.
6. Iranian lady aged 103
Just like the Chinese case, a 103-year-old woman in Iran has recovered after being infected with the new coronavirus, again showing that elderly can beat the virus.
The unnamed woman had been hospitalised in the central city of Semnan for about a week, IRNA news agency said. But she was “discharged after making a complete recovery”, Semnan University of Medical Sciences head Navid Danayi was quoted as saying.
7.91-year-old from Iran
Another 91-year-old man from Kerman, in the southeast of Iran, also recovered from the disease.
After being sick for three days, he recovered despite having pre-existing medical conditions including high blood pressure and asthma, it added.
The report also gives hope especially against the backdrop that people aged over 80 had high fatality rate.
8. China reports recovery of 100-year-old man
A 100-year-old man has recovered from the disease and was discharged from hospital in China. The man was among the group of more than 80 coronavirus patients who were discharged from the branch of Hubei’s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital at the Optics Valley in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei Province and the epicenter of the outbreak.
The man was born in February 1920 and just marked his 100th birthday, according to Xinhua. He was admitted to the hospital on February 24 due to a coronavirus infection, with underlying health problems such as Alzheimer’s disease, hypertension and heart failure.
9.93-year-old from South Korea
A 93-year-old South Korean woman fully recovered and has been released from quarantine, city officials reportedly confirmed. The patient was a resident at a nursing hospital in the southeastern city of Gyeongsan and was discharged from the Seoul hospital.
The patient was the oldest person among recovered of the COVID-19 cases. She previously had symptoms of dementia but did not have any other underlying disease, he added.
Ding, her daughter, tearfully told the press as she was leaving the hospital that she had thought that her mother wouldn’t make it considering how deadly the COVID-19 disease was thought to be. The woman, Hu Hanying, was in critical condition when she and her daughter were transferred to the makeshift hospital on February 13.
10. 101-year-old from China
China, the epicentre of the corona virus, also reported another amazing recovery story. 101-year-old patient – identified in local media by his surname of ‘Dai’ – who spent a week in Wuhan Third Hospital, Hubei Province, fully recovered.
Until his return home, a 98-year-old woman – Hu Hanying – was the oldest patient to successfully overcome the disease in China. Ward matron Li Lai told reporters that Mr Dai was “very energetic” upon his discharge.
Local media reported that caring Mr Dai was worried about his wife, 92, being at home alone. So the determined pensioner had concentrated on getting “better soon so he could go home and take care of her”. The elderly man became unwell last month and was immediately hospitalised after being diagnosed with the virus.
