Her entire family was in a state of shock when Asma Beevi tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 at the grand old age of 105. But beating all odds she stepped out of the COVID-19 isolation ward after just 10 days, much to the delight of her doctors at Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), Kollam.
The oldest COVID-19 survivor in the State, her recovery was one momentous occasion for the hospital after the discharge of little Insaf, who tested positive when he was only three days old.
‘Very positive’
Asma Beevi had tested positive on June 20 and by then nine members of her family had contracted the virus. “She was symptomatic and had hypertension whichis a risk factor. We had constituted a special team for her treatment and an additional monitoring system was in place. She was very positive and never developed any serious issues during the treatment. We never had to shift her to the ICU and her recovery has brought some much-needed cheer,” says Shiril Ashraf M.A., Resident Medical Officer, GMC.
According to her family, the great-grandmother had no serious ailments apart from some age-related difficulty in walking. “We were more worried at the prospect of leaving her alone at the hospital as we were sent to different places. Though several members of the family, including infants, tested positive, she was our major concern. But she seemed very confident and said her generation had seen worst contagions like smallpox,” says her grandson Shameer. Only five members of the family, including Shameer, have been discharged, but Asma Beevi’s recovery has instilled confidence in others.
At the other end
Insaf’s mother Ayisha had tested positive two days after an emergency C-section on May 21. He tested positive the next day and both the mother and baby had to spend over a fortnight at the MCH. Baby Insaf first tested negative and it took several days for Ayisha to recover and complete her quarantine before she reunited with her son. “We had another team headed by a paediatrician for the newborn. Since patients in both extremes of age are vulnerable, special critical care teams are deployed for them,” says Dr. Ashraf.
