Once the pandemic struck, families began to ask, "are the elderly more vulnerable to the coronavirus disease?" Health experts revealed that older people are at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 die to ageing, underlying health conditions, and other physiological changes.
COVID-19's lethality is double for those over 70 than those age 60, Statnews reported. Further, over 50% of COVID-19 related deaths were people aged 80 years and older. One can say it is a miracle when people over 100 years old survive COVID-19. Without further ado, here are the centenarians who survived the pandemic, in most cases, even two pandemics.
Oldest COVID-19 Survivor
Hamden resident Anita Murphy, 108 is likely the oldest survivor of COVID-19 in America, revealed Whitney Rehabilitation & Care Center, Fox 61 reported. She turns 109 on February 6.
Manor beat COVID-19 last spring. Afterward, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and Hamden Mayor Curt Leng issued proclamations in honor of the centenarian. Jennifer Coratelli, Anita's nurse of two years shared Anita's secrets to a long life-keep moving, dance, and drink lots of water. Coratelli revealed Anita also has good genetics as many of her family members are in their 90s.
Anita was married to her late husband for 72 years. She has one son, two grandkids, 7 great-grandkids, and one great-great-grandchild. Anita also lived through the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918 when she was only 6 years old.
Not Scared When She Saw COVID-19 Positive Result
Meanwhile, Rubena Wenzel, 106 revealed that she was not scared and "did not think much" when her COVID-19 results returned positive. Her daughter, Beverly Smith was more scared for her mother saying, "it was a feeling of doom. You see, younger people died due to COVID-19, much less someone who is now 106."
Wenzel survived the Spanish flu in 1918. After determining the results, the Good Shepherd Villa retirement home staff monitored Wenzel whose oxygen and temperature never fluctuated. Further, she did not show symptoms. Staff noted how she remained positive all throughout.
The retirement home had a total of 5 COVID-19 positive cases, three residents and two staff. Wenzel was the first resident to test COVID-19 positive.
Beats Cancer and COVID-19
107-year-old Tillie Dybing of Minnesota revealed that fatigue was the only symptom of COVID-19 she felt. She did not know she had COVID-19 until she received her test results. She was kept in isolation and celebrated her 107th birthday without loved ones.
Dybing previously survived the Spanish flu pandemic. She also beat uterine cancer at age 95. 'If the time has come I have to leave, I will go; but I'm still here," the cancer and COVID-19 survivor proclaimed.
Sisters Beat COVID-19
Anna Del Priore was only 6 years old when she beat the Spanish flu. Over a century later, she recovered from the novel coronavirus. She celebrated her recovery dancing as revealed by Sunrise Senior Living in a Facebook photo. "Dancing makes me feel good. It's how I keep my health," the centenarian revealed.
Del Priore's younger sister Helen Guzzone, 105 also successfully beat the Spanish flu and COVID-19, Web MD reported.
