Great-grandmother, 106, is thought to be Britain’s oldest patient to recover from coronavirus as she is discharged from hospital
- Connie Titchen was first admitted to Birmingham City Hospital in mid-March
- Staff thought she had pneumonia but was diagnosed with Covid-19 soon after
- Retired shop worker said she feels ‘very lucky’ and ‘can’t wait to see my family’
- Learn more about how to help people impacted by COVID
A 106-year-old woman thought to be Britain’s oldest patient to recover from coronavirus has been discharged from hospital.
Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust said Connie Titchen, who underwent a hip operation last December, was admitted to Birmingham City Hospital in mid-March with suspected pneumonia and diagnosed with Covid-19 soon afterwards.
In a statement issued by the Trust, the retired shop worker and great-grandmother said: ‘I feel very lucky that I’ve fought off this virus. I can’t wait to see my family.’
One-hundred-and-six-year-old Connie Titchen, pictured left, thought to be Britain’s oldest patient to recover from coronavirus, has been discharged from hospital
It comes as care homes have been ordered to allow grieving relatives a last chance to say goodbye to loved-ones before they die from coronavirus amid shocking reports of elderly victims dying alone.
Matt Hancock will reportedly outline new measures to allow compassionate visits to nursing homes and outlaw the blanket use of ‘do not resuscitate’ (DNR) plans, which staff claim they’ve been asked to routinely sign during the crisis.
Families have complained of having to say their last goodbyes over Skype or from outside buildings as facilities do not want them to enter because of the infection risk.
One family revealed they were forced to wave goodbye to a deceased loved one from a nursing home car park in Nottingham while the body was removed by undertakers on Easter Monday.
According to the Evening Standard, the Health Secretary will use the daily press conference this evening to say that ‘everyone has a right to say goodbye’ and that ‘wanting to be with someone you love at the end of their life is one most human instincts there is’.
Connie Titchen, pictured with a birthday card from the Queen, said she ‘can’t wait’ to see her family
Meanwhile, Britain’s daily death toll today stayed below 800 for the fourth day in a row, sparking hopes that the UK’s draconian lockdown is working.
Health officials announced just 761 more Covid-19 victims in hospitals across the home nations, taking the overall number of fatalities close to the 13,000-mark.
It is slightly down from the 778 recorded yesterday.
While the elderly are still deemed most at risk from the killer bug, the death of an unidentified 20-year-old who had no known underlying health condition is among those announced in England today.
However, Government advisers have cautioned against pinning too much hope to the death numbers provided each day, with the peak of the crisis still yet to arrive.
This is because they date back up to two weeks and do not represent the situation on the day they’re published.
In other developments to the UK’s coronavirus crisis today:
- Ministers were under huge pressure to come up with an ‘exit strategy’ from coronavirus lockdown after the scale of the looming economic meltdown became clear;
- World War II hero Captain Tom Moore, 99, has raised more than £6million for the ‘brave nurses and doctors’ of the NHS by marching around his garden on a zimmer frame;
- Oxford University scientists announced trials of a coronavirus vaccine would begin on humans next week, after they claimed they were confident a jab would be ready for millions to use by the autumn;
- Chinese leaders reportedly covered up the coronavirus crisis for six days, as it was claimed Beijing knew it was likely dealing with a major health crisis on January 14 but President Xi only warned the public on January 20;
- The US and Europe could be hit by up to four waves of coronavirus if it is allowed to ravage Africa, a WHO expert warned as he said the virus is ‘about to march through the continent and India like an avalanche’;
- The pandemic has now infected more than two million people around the world, the latest figures revealed today – but experts believe that the true figure is much higher with many people never tested because their symptoms are mild.
