Centenarian COVID-19 patient recovers in Xinjiang

URUMQI, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- A 101-year-old woman has recovered from COVID-19 after 10 days of medical treatment in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to her family and doctors.

He Cui was admitted on Nov. 9 to the Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, with a positive nucleic acid test result.

Upon admission, the centenarian resident of Urumqi reported cough and fever symptoms, as well as hypertension as an underlying condition, said Lu Chen, head of Xinjiang's COVID-19 treatment expert team.

Lu said that, considering the high risks involved in treating elderly COVID-19 patients, they assembled medical experts from two hospitals to customize a treatment plan for He.

"Departments such as intensive care, respiratory diseases, cardiology, geriatrics, nutrition and traditional Chinese medicine have worked with clinical pharmacists, psychiatrists and rehabilitation therapists. We built a big team for all-round treatment," Lu said.

Li Ti, the daughter of He, said that when her mother found out she had COVID-19, the old lady thought she had little chance of recovering. "She said it was okay to give up on her and asked us to skip the painful intubation should the inevitable happen."

But soon after receiving medication and nutrients, her mother felt much better, Li said, describing her recovery as "miraculously fast."

He was discharged from the designated COVID-19 hospital on Nov. 19 and spent another week under medical observation in another hospital before returning home. All treatment and medications were free of charge.

"The other day, she told me she's totally back on her feet. I was so glad to hear it," Li said.