101-year-old Italian man recovers from coronavirus, gets released from hospital

Though the number of novel coronavirus cases continues to rise by the day, happy endings still exist.

A 101-year-old Italian man was recently released from hospital after making a full recovery from COVID-19, according to Gloria Lisi, deputy mayor of Rimini, Italy.

The man, only referred to as “Mr. P,” left a Rimini hospital on Thursday after being admitted a week ago, CNN reports.

“The family brought him home yesterday evening,” Lisi told Italian publication Rimini Today. “To teach us that even at 101 years, the future is not written.”

His quick recovery has been deemed “truly extraordinary,” Lisi said, and gives “hope for the future.”

Not only did he survive the novel coronavirus disease, the man, born in 1919, also survived the Spanish flu pandemic, which killed between 20 and 50 million people around the world.

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Italy has been brutally hit by COVID-19, with more than 86,000 confirmed cases as of Friday.

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As of Thursday, Rimini registered 1,189 cases of the virus, according to the Italian Civil Protection Department.

Though the European country has been suffering under the pressure of the virus outbreak, it’s also seen some upsides.

With the countrywide lockdowns has come a positive environmental impact: the Venice canal has run clear for the first time in years.

A typical March would see nearly 700,000 people arrive in Venice on cruise ships or otherwise, the South China Morning Post reports.

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The decline in tourism has brought “back the lagoon waters of ancient times, those of the post-war period, when it was even still possible to bathe in the waters of the canals,” according to local newspaper La Nuova di Venezia e Mestre.

Though social isolation has been difficult, it’s had a massively positive effect on CO2 emissions, according to European Space Agency (ESA) data analyzed by the Washington Post.

Between Jan. 1 and March 12, concentrations of nitrogen dioxide — produced by cars and power plants — fell immensely, especially over Italy, according to the ESA’s Sentinel-5P satellite.

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Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.

Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.

For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.

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meaghan.wray@globalnews.ca