Medical personnel in protective suits wave hands to a patient who is discharged from the Leishenshan Hospital after recovering from the novel coronavirus, in Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak, in Hubei province, China March 1, 2020. Picture taken March 1, 2020.
Deputy Mayor Gloria Lisi of the Italian City of Rimini reported the release of a 101-year old man after recovering from COVID-19 despite the disease being considered high-risk for people of age.
The man identified as "Mr. P," was previously admitted to a hospital in Rimini in the northeastern part of Italy, after testing positive from the disease that is currently causing the worldwide pandemic.
"Mr. P" was reportedly released from hospital confinement last Thursday, after a recovery that the mayor referred to as "truly extraordinary," especially for a man who has already lived for more than a century. Moreover, the mayor said that his recovery may bring hope for future generations.
The man was born in 1919 during the same period when the Spanish influenza pandemic killed almost 30 to 50 million people in the world. It was also noted that he grew up to witness the two world wars. Now, he also makes history as the oldest person to recover from coronavirus.
After surviving a pandemic as a child, Mr. P lives to survive another one as a centenarian. During the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, the town he lived in was also hardly inflicted. Italy during that time recorded an approximate of 600,000 deaths, but Mr. P was spared as he is now in the COVID-19 crisis.
Surviving two pandemics, a century apart
When Mr. P was admitted to the hospital, it seemed that he was returning to the beginning of his life, in a hospital, vulnerable amid a worldwide health crisis. Healthcare workers did not have high hopes of his survival since they were already rather hopeless when someone over 65 contracts the disease since they are usually it the hardest.
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However, according to Lisi, once Mr. P started to recover from the disease, he was the favorite topic of every conversation in the hospital. His fast recovery brought hope to other people suffering from the disease, both in Italy and worldwide. It sprouted the hope of surviving the current pandemic, hope brought by a 101-year old man.
A story of survival and inspiration
With all the negative news that is spreading about the COVID-19 pandemic, people have struggled to hang on to the hope of survival. However, Mr. P's story is something to hold on to that even when one is considered vulnerable and even when everyone seems to lose hope, there is always a chance of survival worth clinging onto.
Based on previous fatalities of COVID-19, older people are more likely to succumb to the disease. Thus Mr. P's survival is indeed remarkable. According to the National Insitute of Health of Italy's report, the majority of COVID-19 related deaths in the country or at least 86% are patients who are more than 70 years old.
Italy also has the highest death toll in the world with more than 10,700 fatalities. However, this may be attributed to the country having the second-oldest population in the world with almost a quarter of its citizens already more than 65 years old.
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