97-year-old great-grandmother in Brazil survives coronavirus

A 97-year-old woman was discharged from a Brazilian hospital Sunday after becoming the country's oldest patient to survive COVID-19.

Gina Dal Colleto was hospitalized April 1 after displaying symptoms including a cough and mental confusion, according to a statement from Rede D’Or São Luiz, which controls the Vila Nova Star hospital where she was admitted. 

She was diagnosed with influenza and COVID-19 and was put on oxygen in the intensive care unit. Sunday, she left the hospital in a wheelchair as hospital staff applauded around her.

Dal Colleto lives alone in Santos, a coastal city in the state of São Paulo, according to the hospital. She is the only survivor of her 11 siblings and has six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

"Even with almost a century of life, Gina has a very active routine and enjoys walking, shopping and cooking," a hospital statement said of the Italian nonagenarian.

Brazil has experienced the highest number of coronavirus cases in South America – 22,318 confirmed cases and 1,241 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. 

President Jair Bolsonaro has downplayed the risks of the virus and pushed back against social distancing measures, according to Reuters. Bolsonaro argued that extended economic shutdowns are a greater risk than the disease, which he called a “little cold.”

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