Through two pandemics: 106-year-old grandfather survives COVID-19 and lived through the Spanish Flu

pandemic 106-year-old grandfather coronavirus spanish flu

By Fatima Virrey , Parent Herald Jul 07, 06:32 am

Living during a pandemic can be difficult, but imagine getting to live through two pandemics in one lifetime. A grandfather in New Delhi is probably the right person to ask.

He is now 106 years old. He was only four years old when the Spanish Flu affected the lives of many in 1918.

What makes this lifetime more interesting for the 106-year-old grandfather is that he survived the COVID-19 disease. He even got well faster than his son.

The battle against coronavirus

The 106-year-old grandfather was brought to the hospital in mid-April. He was brought to the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital or RGSSH, the facility dedicated to COVID-19 patients in East Delhi.

The grandfather contracted the virus along with his son, wife, and another family member. The doctors reported that all of them were able to survive and have already recuperated from the coronavirus.

The 106-year-old grandfather was released from the hospital in early May. According to one of the doctors in the hospital, "he recovered from COVID-19 faster than his son, who is also very old."

A kid during the Spanish flu pandemic and a coronavirus survivor

According to a family member of the 106-year-old grandfather, the coronavirus survivor is now doing fine. "He has defeated coronavirus, and he was a kid during the Spanish Flu," the relative said.

Health experts of RGSSH are also amazed by the recovery of the grandfather. That is because people from his age group are more vulnerable to the coronavirus than the other age groups. Also, the grandfather had a co-morbid condition of hypertension, but he still managed to fight through the coronavirus.

Doctors shared that the man is probably the first reported case in Delhi for a person who is already living during the Spanish flu pandemic and can survive COVID-19. Doctors also said that they could not determine whether the 106-year-old grandfather also had the Spanish Flu. Records and documentation during that time were not yet available.

The similarities and differences between the two pandemics

The Spanish flu pandemic happened from 1918 to 1919. Although the virus's origin does not have a universal consensus, the Center for Disease Control of the United States says it is the most severe pandemic.

About one-third of the world population during that time was affected by the Spanish Flu. In the United States, a total of about 675,000 deaths were recorded because of this pandemic.

Experts say that the situations today and during the Spanish flu pandemic are the same. The protocols implemented today are the same during 1918: social distancing, staying at home, and wearing masks.

According to the CDC, there are now more than 2.8 million positive cases of coronavirus in the United States. More than 129,000 deaths are recorded as caused by COVID-19.

There is still no cure or vaccine found for the virus.