A 102-year-old woman has recovered from the coronavirus in Italy.
Italica Grondona returned home after 20 days at the San Martino hospital in Genoa.
One of the doctors, Vera Sicbaldi, said that her case represents hope for all the elderly facing the virus.
“We nicknamed her ‘Highlander’ – the immortal,” Sicbaldi added. Grondona was hospitalized at the start of the month with mild heart failure, showing only mild virus symptoms. After she tested positive, the doctors did very little, Sicbaldi said, adding that the elderly lady recovered on her own.
While inspiring hope, the doctors decided to study her case in-depth, due to her impressive recovery.
Her nephew Renato Villa Grondona said that he doesn’t know what her secret is, but “I know she is a free and independent woman.”
According to Italy’s National Health Institute, the average age of those who tested positive and subsequently died is 78.
Italy is the hardest-hit country by the COVID-19 outbreak in Europe with a death toll at 12,428 and the number of officially registered infections just under 105,782 as of Tuesday.
