CHINA'S OLDEST CORONAVIRUS SURVIVORS

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) represents a global human pandemic. As of March 16, 2020, 167,515 cases were reported in 151 countries and regions. The death toll worldwide has reached 6,606, far exceeding the fatalities of two other coronavirus diseases—severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)—combined.1 Clinical studies consistently show that critical conditions and deaths associated with COVID‐19 occurred particularly in older adults, especially those with chronic multimorbidity.2, 3 Extraordinarily, five older patients aged 98 years and over were discharged from hospitals, four of whom were in Wuhan—the epicenter of the global outbreak. Here we present their successful stories to inspire medical staff, patients, and the public.

The first case was the oldest so far reported. A 103‐year‐old woman who had a confirmed positive nucleic acid test result for COVID‐19 on March 1 was admitted to the Li‐Yuan Hospital, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology.4 She was bedridden with preexisting Alzheimer's disease and other comorbidities. Ward physicians and nurses tried hard to communicate with her accurately. Computed tomography (CT) imaging proved pleural effusion. Her condition was severe at admission yet improved with nurses' care and supportive treatments. She became nucleic acid negative on March 6 and returned home two days later.

The second patient was a 98‐year‐old woman who presented with constant fever (>38.5°C) and fatigue on February 3.5 She lived with her 79‐year‐old daughter, and her 49‐year‐old granddaughter, who lived elsewhere, joined them for the Chinese Spring Festival. The three women showed COVID‐19 pneumonia as confirmed by CT scan and nucleic acid tests. They were admitted to the Wuhan First Hospital and shared a ward on February 13. After 10 more days of supportive therapies and individualized nutritional supplementation, the 98‐year‐old woman, together with her daughter and granddaughter, was confirmed to be COVID‐19‐free and was thus released the same day on March 3.

The third case was also a 98‐year‐old woman who had a high body temperature > 40°C in early February.5 Considering her critically ill condition, she and her 55‐year‐old daughter, who also had the virus, were transferred to an intensive care unit in a makeshift hospital on the evening of February 13; they were discharged on March 1. The major treatments included anti‐infection medication, intensive nursing care, and nutritional supplementation. Despite her heart failure, she was joyfully all cleared from the severe lung infection.

The fourth case who recovered from the coronavirus infection was a 98‐year‐old bishop.6 The pastor was diagnosed with COVID‐19 pneumonia on February 3 and treated at the Central Hospital in Nanyang, Henan province, which shares its border with Hubei, the province at the heart of the epidemic. He has tested negative since February 12 and was discharged two days later. In addition to the viral infection, the bishop had comorbidities such as arrhythmia and pleural effusions. He was treated with a thoracic drainage catheter and his recovery was exceptional.

The last infected patient was a 101‐year‐old man who spent a week in the Wuhan Third Hospital.7 He became unwell in February and was immediately hospitalized after being diagnosed with the viral infection. His doctor claimed that the determined pensioner had concentrated on getting better soon so he could go home and take care of his 92‐year‐old wife. During hospitalization, the 101‐year‐old gentleman insisted on taking care of himself and was always the first to get up early for a morning walk. He clearly knew that “It is no bother and I can just do it.”

Thanks to the significant commitment, hard work, and intensive care from the frontline medical staff and the Chinese government, these five oldest patients clearly show that age is definitely not a barrier to recovering from the infection. These successful stories are indeed a joy to the world: Joy can be “infectious” and “pandemic” too.