An 89-year-old Guerrero woman with diabetes survived a 17-day bout of Covid-19 and was released from an Acapulco hospital on Tuesday.
María, whose last name was not given, was one of 12 patients discharged from the city’s Social Security Institute (IMSS) General Hospital earlier this week. The survivors ranged in age from 29 to 89 and suffered from a number of comorbidities that made them especially vulnerable to the virus, including obesity, asthma, chronic bronchitis, diabetes and hypertension.
Appearing happy and healthy upon her release, María expressed her gratitude to the frontline workers whose efforts enabled her return to her home in Taxco, in the north of the state.
She encouraged personnel to continue “doing their best, because they give very good medical attention,” and added a plea to others to “take care of themselves and stay home,” IMSS said in a statement.
Doctors, nurses and other hospital staff in Acapulco have received a lot of emotional support from the public. In mid-April, out-of-work mariachis serenaded frontline workers at several hospitals in the city to thank and encourage them not to lose heart.
In addition to diabetes and her advanced age, María suffered from a fever, cough and oxygen capacity of 80% when she was admitted to a hospital in Taxco on April 18. Doctors soon after transferred her to Acapulco for specialized care.
The head of internal medicine at the Acapulco hospital, Dr. María del Socorro Ryes Atlixco, said that the treatment of broad spectrum antiviral medications, steroids and chloroquine kept María off of a ventilator during her battle with the coronavirus.
Excited to see her mother leave the hospital, María’s daughter Gloria said, “My mom is a warrior because of the huge fight she put up,” and added that it is vital for the public to take the government’s quarantine and physical distancing recommendations seriously.
She said that María’s 35 grandchildren and great-grandchildren and her 98-year-old husband are eagerly awaiting her return home.
Mexico News Daily
