In its fight against COVID-19, China has put the people and their health above all else. When it comes to severe cases, the elderly are considered a high-risk group. However, nationwide, a number of centenarians have been discharged from hospital after recovering from the virus, thanks to the all-out efforts of medical workers.

As the country optimizes and adjusts its epidemic prevention and control measures, China is striving to achieve the goal of "protecting health and preventing severe cases" by strengthening vaccination for the elderly and improving the ability to treat acute and critical cases, among other moves. The following stories of some Chinese centenarians that have been cured exemplify the efforts in this regard.

Narrow escape

A 100-year-old woman surnamed Liu recovered from COVID-19 recently and was discharged from hospital after 11 days of medical treatment at the Chongqing Public Health Medical Center in Southwest China.

Liu is the eldest COVID-19 patient so far to have received treatment and recovered at the hospital in Chongqing.

She had been bedridden for a long time and could not take care of herself due to various underlying illnesses. On Nov 19, Liu was in a critical condition when she was transferred to the Chongqing Public Health Medical Center, according to Li Peibo, head of the center's medical affairs department.

During her hospitalization, Liu suffered two cardiac arrests due to chronic malignant arrhythmia and heart failure, but the hospital managed to bring her back. Liu recovered gradually thanks to precise medical treatment, careful nursing and tailored food preparations at the center, says Li.

It was also arranged for Liu to stay in the same inpatient ward with her daughter and nanny. The three were all discharged from the hospital on the same day.

"It is like a medical miracle to successfully rescue and cure my mother, who is a centenarian with a severe case of COVID-19. We feel so grateful to all the medical workers and our government," says Liu's daughter.

Good appetite

It has been more than three months since 108-year-old Huang Yafen, the eldest COVID-19 patient in South China's Hainan province, was cured of her COVID-19 infection and left the hospital.

On Aug 14, Huang, a member of the Li ethnic group who lives in the coastal city of Sanya, developed a cough, fever and muscle soreness, and she returned a positive result for a COVID-19 nucleic acid test. Confirmed as a mild case, she was transferred to the Haikou People's Hospital.

"We didn't expect that the elderly would be infected with COVID-19, and we were very worried," says Chen Guiying, Huang's granddaughter-in-law, adding that after Huang became infected, her family did not tell her the situation, fearing that she would be afraid.

The hospital's expert team carefully worked out the diagnosis and treatment plan for Huang. Chen stayed with her to help her communicate with the medical staff, and the centenarian actively cooperated with the treatment.

Ten days later, Huang recovered. When she was discharged from hospital, Huang gave a thumbs-up to the medical staff to show her gratitude.

Chen says that Huang's health and life have not been affected, and she still has a good appetite like before. In September, her family celebrated her 108th birthday with her.

Getting over the hump

The other day, Li Ti's 101-year-old mother told her that she was totally back on her feet. Li Ti felt so glad. About one month ago, however, she worried whether or not her mother who was infected with COVID-19 would recover.

"My mother was in a bad mental state and had a poor appetite. Nurses could only feed her some milk, apple and banana puree. However, her mind was clear, knowing that she had got COVID-19, and she felt that there would not be much hope of cure," recalls the daughter.

On Nov 9, the mother, surnamed He, was admitted to the Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Considering the high risks involved in treating elderly COVID-19 patients, Lu Chen, head of Xinjiang's COVID-19 treatment expert team, assembled medical experts from two hospitals to customize a treatment plan for He.

Ten days later, when doctors informed Li Ti that the elderly patient was cured, she felt incredible. "I didn't expect my mother to really get over the hump." He was discharged from the designated COVID-19 hospital and spent several days under medical observation in another hospital before returning home.

Homecoming

Every morning, a 100-year-old woman surnamed Wang does breathing exercises that she was taught by a nurse when she received COVID-19 treatment in the hospital. Wang, a resident of the city of Jilin, Northeast China's Jilin province, was diagnosed with COVID-19 during the city's epidemic resurgence in the spring. With the help of the medical team, she overcame the disease in 10 days and is now recovering well.

Wang suffers from underlying conditions, including coronary heart disease, and was diagnosed as a severe case by the national medical experts' team sent to Jilin.

Wang Yuhong, director of the respiratory department at Jilin Municipal Central Hospital, says that the medical team adopted tailored measures to treat the elderly patient. Initially, she was depressed and didn't like to eat and talk. It was the medics who cheered her up and helped her mental and physical condition to gradually improve.

"I remember the names you wrote on the medical protection suits, so please come to my home for a good meal someday," the 100-year-old told the medical staff when she was discharged from the hospital.

Recovery

Receiving a call from Central China's Hunan province, the son of another centenarian COVID-19 patient in Shanghai answered it at once and expressed thanks to the medics from Hunan.

The call was dialed from Changsha, capital of Hunan, from where a team of medical workers came all the way to support Shanghai and help treat local severe cases amid the city's virus resurgence earlier this year.

His mother, surnamed Chen and aged 101, recovered pretty well after being discharged from hospital in May. She is the second centenarian COVID-19 patient cured by the Hunan medical team sent to Shanghai.

With high blood pressure, diabetes and other underlying illnesses, the elderly patient was in critical condition. But a week's hospitalization and careful medical treatment helped her back to sound health.

"My mother now can watch television shows and has a good appetite," the son says.

We shall win

Puencog Zhoema, a 100-year-old resident in Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, recovered from COVID-19 and was discharged from hospital earlier this month, after 25 days of medical treatment.

The centenarian tested positive for the virus on Nov 6 after being infected with COVID-19 by her grandchildren.

Puencog Zhoema, accompanied by her son-in-law, was admitted to the Third People's Hospital of Tibet later.

Sonam Qoezhoen, Puencog Zhoema's doctor, says that the senior was diagnosed as a moderate case and showed symptoms of coughing with phlegm and shortness of breath. Meanwhile, the patient also suffers from several underlying conditions.

Doctors then optimized the treatment plans for Puencog Zhoema and provided her with nursing services around the clock.

"The recovery of the elderly truly encouraged us. We believe that we can cure more patients through our joint efforts. We shall win," Sonam Qoezhoen says.

A total of 113 COVID-19 patients in Tibet over the age of 80 have been treated and discharged from the hospital since August.

Xinhua