Elderly Maryland Couple Beats COVID-19, Released From Hospital Ahead Of 73rd Anniversary

KEY POINTS

Joe and Betty Levin are 100 and 98 years old, respectively
The couple is currently at a rehabilitation facility undergoing physical therapy
"It’s a miracle that they survived," the couple’s son, Mark, said

An elderly Maryland couple, who recently recovered from COVID-19, can’t wait to celebrate their 73rd anniversary together after being discharged from separate hospitals.

Joe and Betty Levin, aged 98 and 100 respectively, were rushed to hospitals three weeks ago with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and eventually tested positive for the illness.

They were picked up by the medical staff from their Silver Spring apartment building in Montgomery County in late November after having high fever and respiratory problems. The couple's son, Mark, told NBC-affiliated WCMH-TV he had a hunch his parents had the coronavirus.

"I was shocked," he told WCMH-TV. "It was a gut punch. ... To see them deteriorate so quickly and have to be rushed to the hospital was devastating."

The couple, who received treatment at two different hospitals for the coronavirus, reunited this week. Joe and Betty are currently staying at a rehabilitation center where they are undergoing physical therapy for post-COVID complications.

"It’s a miracle that they survived," Mark said.

Betty was taken to Holy Cross Hospital, while Joe was admitted to Suburban Hospital, where he spent an unspecified number of days in the intensive care unit.

“Two separate hospitals because they couldn’t be together,” said Mark.

"It’s unbelievable," wife, Alicia, Mark’s wife, said. "It’s a miracle."

Joe and Betty are expected to receive physical therapy at the rehabilitation center for the next few weeks. The couple is looking forward to being physically fit to celebrate their 73rd anniversary, which falls in January. "I think we’re going to win against the disease, both of us," Joe told the station.

The couple said they don’t know from where they contracted the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had said the risk of severe illness due to the coronavirus increases with age, with the older adults, typically those above the age of 85, being most vulnerable. The conditions of severity as a result of COVID-19 may lead to hospitalization, a move to intensive care, then being assigned a ventilator to assist in breathing, and even death.