Paris – A 116-year-old French nun survived to be believed to be the second oldest person in the world COVID-19 and is looking forward to turning 117 on Thursday. The gerontology research group, which validates details about people believed to be 110 or older, lists Frenchwoman Lucile Randon – the birth name of sister André – as the second oldest living person in the world.
BFM TV / AP
The French press reports that Sister André tested positive for the virus in mid-January in the southern French city of Toulon. But only three weeks later, the nun is considered recovered.
“I didn’t even realize I had it,” she told the French newspaper Var-Matin.
Sister André, who is blind and uses a wheelchair, did not even worry when she was diagnosed.
“She didn’t ask me about her health, but about her habits,” David Tavella, the communications manager for the nursing home where the nun lives, told the newspaper. “For example, she wanted to know if meal or bedtime schedules would change. She showed no fear of illness. On the other hand, she was very worried about the other residents.”
Not all the inhabitants of the house shared the luck of Sister André. In January, 81 of the 88 residents tested positive for the virus and about 10 died, according to Var-Matin.
Once the doctors declared that the nun was no longer infected, she was allowed to attend Mass. Local media said they are looking forward to celebrating their birthday with friends at a nursing home, albeit smaller than usual, as the coronavirus is still raging across France.