A 96-year-old woman has recovered from the novel coronavirus after being treated in intensive care units for three days, a hospital in China said.
The pensioner is believed to be the oldest person in the country to have contracted and recovered from the deadly disease, which has killed at least 1,383 people and infected more than 64,460 globally.
She is four years older than the previous record holder, who recovered last week.
Ms Lu (pictured), a 96-year-old woman from China’s Zhejiang Province, has recovered from the novel coronavirus after being treated in the ICU for three days at a hospital in Hangzhou
The pensioner, from the city of Ningbo, is believed to be the oldest person in the country to have contracted and recovered from the deadly disease, which has killed at least 1,383 people
The patient, known by her surname Lu, was discharged yesterday afternoon from the Zhejiang branch of The First Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, eastern China.
She had been transferred there from a local hospital and taken to intensive care units directly due to her severe symptoms and advanced age, the hospital in Hangzhou said in a social media statement today.
Her condition improved after being given a series of anti-virus treatment, including the application of hormones and oxygen therapy.
She was allowed to leave the hospital to continue her treatment in a local hospital in her hometown Ningbo after two consecutive nucleic acid tests came back negative and CT scans of her lungs showed improved results, the hospital said.
A video released by local news group Zhejiang News captures the elderly citizen being pushed out of the hospital and taken into an ambulance by medics in hazmat suits.
The new coronavirus has killed at least 1,383 people and infected more than 64,460 globally
Medical workers check on the conditions of patients in Wuhan’s Jinyintan Hospital on Thursday. The hospital has been designated to treat critical sufferers of the COVID-19 virus
Medical staff work in the negative-pressure isolation ward in Jinyintan Hospital on Thursday
Dr Sheng Jifang, director of the hospital’s Department of Infectious Disease, said the pensioner contracted the coronavirus from one of her daughters who had caught it during a meet-up with friends.
She told Zhejiang News in a separate report: ‘The granny usually stays at home. Because her daughter attended a gathering in Ningbo and then came back to look after her, [then she] was infected.
‘At present, her two daughters are still receiving treatment in quarantine in local hospitals in Ningbo.’
Liang Tingbo, the Communist Party Secretary of the hospital, described the difficulties in treating elderly patients, such as Ms Lu.
He said senior sufferers usually have long-term underlying illnesses, such high blood pressure and heart diseases. Therefore, it is challenging for doctors to design a feasible medical plan to prevent the treatment from interfering their regular medication.
Elderly people with long-term illnesses such as heart disease, lung conditions or diabetes are particularly at risk of the virus. Liang Tingbo, a spokesperson of First Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang University said it is challenging for doctors to come up with a medical plan to prevent the coronavirus treatment from interfering the regular medication of those senior sufferers
Last week, a 92-year-old man became the oldest person to have contracted and recovered from the novel coronavirus. The elderly patient in Hubei Province left the hospital on Friday
Mr Liang said a team of medics provided round-the-clock care to Ms Lu to ensure that her condition would not worsen in the initial 48 hours.
The patient had slight high blood pressure, but she stayed positive throughout the treatment and recovered quickly, Mr Liang said.
Last Friday, 92-year-old man recovered from the novel coronavirus and left a hospital in Yichang, Hubei Province.
At the time, he was the oldest person in China to have recovered from the disease, reported news outlet The Paper.
The pensioner, known by his surname Lu, was taken to the No. 3 Hospital of Yichang on January 23 and diagnosed with the coronavirus on January 25.
He recovered after being treated in the hospital for two weeks.
The novel coronavirus, formally known as COVID-19, has so far killed at least 1,383 people and infected more than 64,460 worldwide.
Elderly people with long-term illnesses such as heart disease, lung conditions or diabetes are particularly at risk of the virus.