95-yr-old woman wins Covid battle in home isolation

Chatra: In a rare feat, 95-year-old Shiyama Devi of Khadaiya village in the industrial town of Tandwa in Chatra district successfully recovered from Covid-19 only by remaining in home isolation and following prescribed protocols. At a time when the second wave of the pandemic had wreaked havoc and burdened the health infrastructure with exponential cases of infection and critical incidents, Devi’s case is unique.
According to family members, Devi was detected with the virus on May 1 following a test at a private lab at Ranchi’s Lalpur Chowk. Her son, Sushil Kumar Sinha, had initially taken her to a private hospital in Hazaribag where she was not given proper treatment. Soon, she was taken to her native village where she stayed in home isolation to fight the virus.
The elderly woman’s granddaughter Isha Sinha, a college-goer, said although her grandmother isn’t highly literate, she had been following all news about Covid through newspapers for the last one year. “She has been adhering to all Covid appropriate behaviour and precautions since last one year but still contracted the virus. But we are happy that she finally won over it,” she said.
Devi was declared cured on May 18 and has not developed at post Covid complication so far, said family members. Her son, Sushil, a government servant, ensured timely food and medicines prescribed by doctor for his mother. Isha said, “My father used to take out time from his busy schedule to give medicines and food to his mother. He was the one who entered her room.”
Isha added that the entire family ensured proper atmosphere at home so that the elderly didn’t feel left out. “Although my grandmother initially didn’t like being isolated but gradually she fought through it bravely,” she said, adding that she doesn’t have any comorbid conditions.
Chatra civil surgeon Ranjan Sinha, who is currently infected with Covid, said he was elated when he learnt about this elderly woman. “The lady has proved that anyone can defeat the disease even without hospitalisation if there is proper will and courage to do so,” he said.