A 105-year-old woman beats COVID-19 on a gin-soaked raisin diet
Lucia DeClerck spoke to FOX television stations about defeating COVID-19 at age 105 with prayer and a diet of gin-soaked raisins.
KLEIN EIERHUISDORP, NJ – Lucia DeClerck never thought she would survive COVID-19 and live 105 years on earth, but she gives her spiritual life – and her diet – to her long life.
“I have no secret except to pray, pray, pray … and not eat junk food,” she told FOX Television Stations on Wednesday.
She also pointed out her particular love for raisins soaked in gin.
‘You put them in a [mason] pot and keep it for nine days. Eat nine days after nine days, “she continues.” It tastes like candy. “
DeClerck has stuck to this staple for most of her life. Her family told the New York Times it is one of her many life habits, including drinking the aloe juice and brushing her teeth with baking soda, causing her to first have her first cavity until she was 99 years old.
DeClerck is currently the oldest patient at the Mystic Meadows Rehab and Nursing Center in Little Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey.
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She tested positive for the coronavirus on January 25, her 105th birthday. Michael Neiman, the center’s administrator, said she had received the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine the day before.
Neiman said after DeClerck contracted the virus, she developed mild symptoms and had a low-grade fever for one day.
DeClerck may be the oldest person to beat the coronavirus in the US, but not in the world. A 117-year-old French nun tested positive for the coronavirus in January and recovered.
“I think people are fascinated by her story because they see that you can be 105 years old and still recover from this dreaded virus,” Neiman told FOX Television Stations. “And you can get your vaccine, even at an advanced age, and still be good.”
“Hell no,” DeClerck replied when asked if she thought she would live that long and if she wanted to live another 105 years.
“She’s just the epitome of perseverance,” DeClerck’s granddaughter Shawn Laws O’Neil told the New York Times. “Her mind is so sharp. She will remember things when I was a child I can not even remember.”
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“She’s just a very positive person. When we visit visitors in the building, they all stop by her room,” Neiman added.
Since the pandemic began nearly a year ago, nearly 690,000 people in New Jersey have tested positive for the virus and more than 20,000 people have died. More than 566,000 people were completely vaccinated. Across the country, more than 28 million people have contracted the virus.
The COVID-19 death toll in the US was more than 500,000 this week and the vaccination campaign is slower than hoped, hampered by logistical and weather delays.
To date, approximately 44.5 million Americans have received at least one dose of vaccine made by Pfizer or Moderna, and nearly 20 million of them have received the second dose required for full protection.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.