CHENNAI: In a heart-warming story of determination and willpower, a 99-year-old woman who battled COVID-19 for 40 days at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) is likely to be discharged in the next few days as her condition has become stable, say doctors.
Jeyalakshmi, a resident of Chintadripet, was admitted on August 29 with a mild fever and sore throat and tested positive for COVID-19.
"While she tested positive, her X-Ray did not show any findings in the initial days. But her symptoms worsened in a few days," said Dean of RGGGH Dr E Theranirajan.
Following this, the woman was shifted to oxygen support and as she could not maintain normal saturation in the non-rebreathing mask, she was put in the high-flow nasal cannula.
"She was on ventilation for five days under the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (C-PAP) machine," added Dr Theranirajan. He said that the woman was treated with steroids like Remdesivir, Methylprednisolone and other antibiotics.
"A team of about 15 doctors was monitoring the patient and she also had a personal caretaker," said Dr Theranirajan.
So far, 21 people aged above 90 have been discharged after getting treatment for COVID-19 from the RGGGH.
On Thursday, Health Secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan visited the hospital and met the patient undergoing treatment.
"I was happy to see her desire to get discharged. This reflects the health care system of TN overall," he told The New Indian Express.
Dr Radhakrishnan said that the patient wanted to get discharged on Friday but she would be observed for a few more days in the hospital.
Doctors said that the patient’s oxygen levels are now at 95 to 96 in normal room air.