Hope as over 80-year-olds recover from Coronavirus

From the onset of the Coronavirus, early data showed that the elderly were more vulnerable to the worst effects of the novel virus. Research has shown that Coronavirus kills an estimated 13.4% of patients 80 and older, compared to 1.25% of those in their 50s and 0.3% of those in their 40s.

Research emanating from Italy, which is among the most affected countries in the world,  shows Covid-19 is dangerous for older people, and those with heart, lung, and immunological conditions. Italy has one of the oldest populations in the world and this may explain why the death rate in the country is so high.

Here at home, the one and only death witnessed is that of a 66-year-old who had a pre-existing condition.

Be that as it may be, there are reports of old people recovering from the disease and this offers a ray of hope for those battling the virus. For instance, in Italy, a 101-year-old was discharged from hospital after beating the infection. Still in Italy,  a 102-year-old woman  recovered from COVID-19 after spending 20 days in hospital with the doctors nicknaming her “Highlander – the Immortal,”  saying she represents a hope for “all the elderly facing this pandemic.”

Perhaps one of the most remarkable Covid-19 recovery story, a 95-year-old granny made full recovery without the need for antiviral treatment, which is used to treat symptoms associated with the disease. She was only given antibiotics.

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The woman, Alma Clara Corsini, was hospitalised on 5 March after she tested positive for COVID-19. She was tested again nine days later and the results came back negative.

In the US, a 95-year-old World War II veteran living in Oregon beat COVID-19 despite a litany of pre-existing medical conditions including blood pressure, congenital heart disease and kidney failure.

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On March 3, a 98-year-old woman was discharged from Wuhan No. 1 Hospital in central China.