PARIS (AP) – A 116-year-old French nun who is believed to be the second oldest person in the world has survived COVID-19 and is looking forward to celebrating her 117th birthday on Thursday.
The Gerontology research group, which confirms details of people presumably 110 years or older, names French woman Lucile Randon – sister André’s birth name – as the second oldest known living person in the world.
French media reported that Sister André tested positive for the virus in mid-January in the southern French city of Toulon. But just three weeks later, the nun is considered recovering.
“I did not even realize I had it,” she told French newspaper Var-Matin.
Sister André, who is blind and uses a wheelchair, was not even worried when she received her diagnosis.
“She did not ask me about her health, but about her habits,” David Tavella, the communications manager of the nursing home where the nun told the newspaper. ‘For example, she wanted to know if schedules for meal or bedtime would change. She showed no fear of the disease. On the other hand, she was very concerned about the other residents. ”
Not all the residents of the house shared Sister André’s happiness. In January, 81 of the 88 residents tested positive for the virus, and according to Var-Matin, about ten of them died.
After doctors declared that the nun was no longer infected, she was allowed to attend the mass.