98-yr-old TN woman defeats COVID-19, stuns Europe

But stunning the whole continent that has been left battered by the pandemic, she recovered and is now back at home.

“It feels so nice to share the information that she has been discharged from hospital. She will turn 99 in a couple of months,” said her nephew K Saleem Ali, a retired IPS officer staying in Chennai.

Daphne is Ali’s maternal uncle’s wife. “She hails from here, but is now settled in Scotland,” said Ali, who worked as special director in CBI and DGP in Tripura.

Narrating the struggle, Ali said Daphne’s son Wesley Shah called a doctor when she developed cough and high fever. After initial treatment failed, she was admitted to the Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, Scotland. Her symptoms included coughing, a loss of appetite and weakness. She was tested positive for COVID-19.

Daphne initially struggled to understand what was happening, as she was not allowed to meet any visitors. However, much to the delight of the family – and many others who have been depressed about the large number of people, particularly the elderly, dying due to the infection – she was discharged from the hospital five days later, on Monday.

“When she left on the ambulance, I honestly never thought I’d see her again,” Wesley told the media there. Wesley added that he wants to “tell the world” that the very elderly can recover from COVID-19.

The family stressed on importance of being positive even in desperate times like this. “Age does not matter. If a 98-year-old can fight off COVID-19, so can anybody. Staying positive is important,” Saleem Ali noted, adding that there is always light and hope even in dark times.