Noida: The SARS-CoV-2 virus may have infected more than 17 million people worldwide,but it fell flat before a 105-year-old Afghan woman in Noida, who defeated the viral infection with her sheer grit and determination to live. “ I’ll live till the Gods want me to. It’s better not to think about Covid. One should always look forward in live. I think that’s how I have lived so long. Tomorrow, I am going to offer namaaz on Eid-ul-Juha,” says Rabia Ahmadi, who tested positive for Covid on July 15 and was admitted to L-3 facility in Sharda hospital

Rabia, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, was not able to recognise any of her relatives at the time of her admission to the hospital.  “The biggest challenges in her treatment were her age and the language barrier. The chronic case of Alzheimer’s. made matters worse. Taking cognisance of her critical condition, she was directly shifted to intensive care unit (ICU) and an acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) dedicated team appointed to take her care. According to Covid protocols, she remained on non-invasive ventilator support for seven days, and was given adequate high protein diet, which resulted in her showing sign of recovery,” said Dr Abhishek Deswal, the in-charge of Covid ICU unit at Sharda hospital.

He added that as the patient’s non-invasive ventilation (NIV) requirement decreased, she was shifted to a oxygen mask.”Now, she has a very low oxygen requirement and is responding well,” Dr Deswal said. Sharing more insights, Dr Ashutosh Niranjan, the medical superintendent of the hospital, said that due to dementia, Rabia often used to forget that she had been admitted to a hospital. “Instead, while sitting in her wheelchair, she often thought that she was at the airport, Dr Niranjan said.“The doctors overcame this by changing her bed frequently to keep her wavering mind steady and to keep her comfortable, while giving her the medical attention needed,” he said.

He said that since Ahmadi has tested negative for Covid-19 now and doesn’t require oxygen support anymore, she will be discharged from the hospital on Friday. “She is stable now. It was an enriching and challenging experience, but the whole Covid team finally did it,” he said. When contacted, Rabia’s son Zuhib Ahmadi, with whom she stays in sector 27 here, said that his mother’s recovery was nothing less than a miracle.

“Tomorrow will be the real Eid for our family. We are making sweets and sewaiyaans for her,” he said. Meanwhile, Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate Suhas LY said that the 105-year-old woman has proved that with strong will power, Covid can be defeated easily. “We’ll salute the lady tomorrow while she is being discharged from the hospital. She is our real warrior — most elderly and most gutsy,” he said.

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