Covid: Second-oldest known living person in the world, 116, survives coronavirus
A 116-year-old French nun has survived Covid-19.
Lucile Randon, whose religious name is Sister Andre, is the second-oldest known living person in the world, according to the Gerontology Research Group, which validates details of people believed to be aged 110 or older.
French media reported that the nun tested positive for the virus in mid-January in the southern French city of Toulon.
But just three weeks later she is as fit as a fiddle – albeit in her regular wheelchair. She is even healthy enough to look forward to her 117th birthday on Thursday.
She told the Var-Matin newspaper: “I didn’t even realise I had it.”
Sister Andre, who is blind, did not even worry when she heard about the diagnosis.
David Tavella, communications manager for the Sainte Catherine Laboure Nursing Home in Toulon, where she lives, told the paper: “She didn’t ask me about her health, but about her habits. For example, she wanted to know if meal or bedtime schedules would change.
“She showed no fear of the disease. On the other hand, she was very concerned about the other residents.”
Not everyone shared Sister Andre’s luck: in January, 81 of the 88 residents at the home tested positive and about 10 died, according to the newspaper.
Sister Andre is now reportedly officially cured and has been allowed to attend Mass.