KEY POINTS

  • Ada Zanusso, 104, was severely ill from coronavirus last March
  • Her son and doctor say she is now recovering well
  • She also survived the Spanish flu and could be the oldest COVID-19 survivor

A 104-year-old woman from Italy has beaten COVID-19 after falling severely ill in March.

Ada Zanusso is reportedly the world's oldest survivor of the novel coronavirus and one of her four sons said that she has "recovered well."

Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported over the weekend that Zanusso is making a remarkable recovery after showing severe symptoms of COVID-19. Her son Giampiero shared that he started to suspect his mother may be ill as her nursing home in Lessona had a number of cases.

"They have sadly had a few fatalities there," Giampiero said. According to reports, some 20 elderly people from Zanusso's nursing home were not able to recover from the coronavirus.

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The world's oldest COVID-19 survivor could be a 104-year-old woman from Italy who fell ill last March. sabinevanerp/Pixabay

Carla Furno Marchese, Zanusso's doctor, said the Italian woman did not lose her lucidity and intelligence despite struggling with symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever, breathing difficulty and vomiting.

"She already gets out of bed and sits in a chair," the doctor said. “Her recovery is a great joy and a reward for all those who have cared for her in these difficult days."

As a small child, Zanusso had survived the Spanish flu, which killed over 50 million around the world.

Her remarkable recovery comes as Italy, the global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic after China, recorded its lowest death rate in two weeks. Hope has risen for the European nation as the number of COVID-19 hospitalization cases is starting to fall.

Meanwhile, Zanusso is not the only centenarian COVID-19 survivor.

World War II veteran William “Bill” Lapschies from Oregon also recovered from COVID-19 in time to celebrate his 104th birthday last week.

Two women from China and from Iran, both 103 years old, also survived after their coronavirus struggles. Another survivor from Britain, Rita Reynolds, 99, has bounced back after her family feared the worst.

Experts said those most vulnerable to COVID-19 are people aged 60 and above, those with underlying medical conditions, and those who are immunocompromised.

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