1918 Flu, World War and now Coronavirus: 101-year-old Italy man survived through them all

The Coronavirus pandemic, which has brought the entire world to a near standstill, has so far reported 542,189 positive cases and claimed 24,365 lives. The virus - said to originate from Wuhan, China - has spread across the globe affecting Italy and the rest of Europe severely. 

Italy itself has reported 80,589 positive cases and 8,215 deaths. However, a silver lining on this cloud of crisis is a 101-year-old man in Italy who recently recovered from COVID-19. What's special is that the man is believed to have survived the 1918 flu and the World War as well. 

As reported by Italian media, a 101-year-old man referred to as 'Mr P' was admitted to Infirmi Hospital last week after testing positive for COVID-19. Mr P was born in 1919, around the same time when Italy was hit by the 1918 flu pandemic which claimed lives of around 600,000 Italians. Mr P was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday night and taken home by his family.

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'The future is yet to be written'

Vice Mayor of Rimini Gloria Lisi in her statement to the local media stated that Mr P from Rimini was born in 1919 amid another tragic pandemic and witnessed everything - hunger, pain, progress, crisis and resurrections. She stated that over the 100-year-old barrier, fate has put this new challenge before him, invisible and terrible at the same time. Furthermore, she added that it became history for doctors, nurses and the rest of the healthcare personnel who treated him. 

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"A hope for the future finds itself in the body of a person over a century old, as the sad chronicles of these weeks mechanically tell every day of a virus that is raging especially on the elderly," the Vice Mayor said, adding that the future is yet to be written.

Italy calls in military to enforce lockdown

Italy is the worst-hit in the world and in the north of the country, particularly the Lombardy region, hospitals struggle to treat thousands of cases. While speaking at a news conference, President of Lombardy, Attilio Fontana, said that the government has agreed that the military can be used to help enforce the lockdown. 

Italy has come to a complete standstill as it is under lockdown. In a bid to contain the spread of the deadly virus, several countries have also banned travel to and from Italy. The World Health Organisation has said that there is a need for bold measures in all the European countries.

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