A 103-year-old Jalisco woman has beat Covid-19 after 11 days in the hospital battling the deadly coronavirus.

The woman, identified only as Doña María, left a public hospital in Jalisco Friday healthy, with a smile on her face, and to thunderous applause from the hospital’s staff.

“The whole time she was very animated, aware, talking with the doctors,” reported David Sánchez González, the hospital’s director. “At the end, she told us to take care of ourselves.”

The centenarian was admitted to the hospital September 22 after being referred there by her medical clinic, where she presented with a fever and difficulty breathing. According to Sánchez, she was likely the oldest coronavirus patient that the Mexican Institute of Social Security in Jalisco has ever treated.

Doña María arrived at the hospital with a preexisting condition, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which she developed from years of being exposed to wood smoke while cooking.

But she did not have other risk factors like diabetes, hypertension, or obesity, a fact which probably explained why she responded well to treatment, said Sánchez. She never needed to be on a ventilator.

“She’s the mother of five children and, really, is quite healthy, besides the pulmonary condition, which makes her dependent on portable oxygen,” he said, adding that she always maintained a sunny disposition and was proactive about her care.

Each Covid-19 case brings doctors at the hospital unique lessons, Sánchez said, but Doña María’s is one that has really motivated staff, “because we feel like what we’re doing matters.”

Sources: Milenio (sp)