The man’s family members also recovered from COVID-19. (Representative)
New Delhi:
106-year-old Delhi man four years old after 1918 Spanish flu survived COVID-19 and recovered faster than 70-year-old son in treatment center National Capital Coronaviruses. said the doctors.
The patient recently left Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital (RGSSH), where his wife, son, and another family member also recovered after contracting the new coronavirus infection, they said.
“Perhaps, it is the first reported case of COVID-19 in Delhi which also went through the terrible Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 which, like COVID-19, also ravaged the world. And, not only did it happen recovered from COVID-19, he recovered faster than his son, who is also old, “a senior doctor.
The Spanish flu was a pandemic that hit the world 102 years ago and affected almost a third of the world‘s population at that time.
“The 1918 flu pandemic was the most severe pandemic in recent history. It was caused by an H1N1 virus with genes of avian origin. Although there is no universal consensus on the origin of the virus, it spread around the world in 1918-1919 “, according to the Center for Diseases Control (CDC) in the United States.
According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), the pandemic of 1918-1919 called the Spanish flu was particularly virulent and killed around 40 million people worldwide. The number of victims of the Spanish flu in India would represent almost a fifth of all deaths worldwide, although the mortality statistics in India are too extensive and questionable.
Doctors at RGSSH, an establishment dedicated to COVID-19, were surprised to see the recovery of this centenary patient of the new coronavirus, even though he was very vulnerable to infection.
“We do not know if he was affected by the Spanish flu or not. We did not see much documentation on the situation at the time with regard to Delhi, but very few hospitals were there at the time. “It’s unbelievable. A 106-year-old man showed willingness to survive,” said an experienced doctor who monitored his situation.
“He lived through two pandemics,” he added.
The man’s wife and another family member also contracted COVID-19, and the four recovered successfully and were released, the doctor said.
So far, the RGSSH has treated 1,000 COVID-19 patients and, on Monday, it will mark the milestone of a symbolic event at which the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, and the Minister of Health, Satyendar Jain , should participate.
