A 116-year-old French nun who is considered the second-oldest person in the world survived COVID-19 and is looking forward to Thursday to celebrate her 117th birthday.
A French nun survived COVID-19 at the age of 116
The Gerontology Research Team, which validates descriptions of persons believed to be 110 or older, lists Frenchwoman Lucile Randon, the birth name of Sister André, as the world's second-oldest living person.
French media announced that in the southern French city of Toulon, Sister André tested positive for the coronavirus in mid-January. Yet just three weeks after, the nun was deemed to have recovered.
The second-oldest person in the world told a French newspaper Var-Matin, "I didn't even realize I had it."
When she got her diagnosis, Sister André, who is blind and uses a wheelchair, did not even worry, as per Mercury News.
Read also: COVID-19 Patients with Gum Problems are Nine Times More Likely to Die, Study Claims
"She didn't ask me about her health, but rather her habits," David Tavella, the nursing home relations officer, told the newspaper about the nun. "She needed to see, for instance, whether a meal or bedtime schedules would change. She had little fear of the illness. She was, on the other hand, very curious with the other tenants.
Not all home residents enjoyed Sister André's luck. In January, 81 of the 88 residents tested positive for COVID-19, and, according to Var-Matin, about 10 of them died.
Sister André was permitted to attend Mass after the doctors declared that the nun was no longer infected.
Whether it was the strength of her prayers or her T-cells that did it, a 116-year-old French nun Lucile Randon survived COVID-19. She was fit as a fiddle just three weeks after the nun tested positive for the virus but in her regular wheelchair. According to Fox News, Sister André is still healthy enough to look forward to her 117th birthday on Thursday.
Read also: WHO Admits Wuhan Research Mission Will Not Reveal How COVID-19 Gets Transmitted To Humans From Animals
Sister Andre will celebrate her 117th birthday after beating COVID-19
"The world's second-oldest person beat coronavirus and she was not afraid of it." Sister André caught COVID-19 during an outbreak at her nursing home in Toulon, France.
The nun, a wheelchair user, was separated from the other residents, but no symptoms developed, The Sun reported. Sister Andre has now made a complete recovery, and her 117th birthday is set to be celebrated tomorrow.
When she received the diagnosis, Sister Andre, originally from Ales, France, was not alarmed. When asked if she was afraid of the coronavirus, she said, "No, I wasn't afraid and I wasn't afraid of dying."
"I'm happy to be with you, but I would wish to be somewhere else - to join my big brother, and my grandfather and my grandmother."
In a smaller number of residents than usual, Sister Andre will celebrate her birthday. The nun who was born on February 11, 1904, is now the oldest person in Europe, according to the Gerontology Research Group's (GRG) World Supercentenarian Rankings List.
