Reason to smile in dark times: At 105, Koppal woman beats Covid

Bengaluru: Older people are at a higher risk of contracting Covid-19 due to their compromised immune system. In these dark Covid times, one district in Karnataka is breaking this myth and giving the country hope and a reason to smile.

In Koppal, a 105-year-old woman recovered after treatment at her 65-year-old son Shankar Gowda's residence.

She is one of the oldest persons in the state to have recovered from the most dreaded coronavirus that has killed a disproportionate number of elderly patients across the world.

Her story is at once heartwarming. Kamalamma Linganagowda Hiregoudra showed symptoms of high fever, cold and cough, and tested positive for the infection, but recovered from it on September 11. "Currently, there are no complications and no major symptoms. Since last one week, she hasn't been eating much. We have been giving her ragi and rice porridge. She has recovered now and doing fine. She was treated at home as she refused to get admitted in any hospital, so we had to keep her in home isolation. We gave her a few tablets like Paracetamol and Prednisolone steroids," said Dr Srinivas, Kamalamma's grandson.

Her 12 children, including five sons and seven daughters are happy that she has recovered. A giant joint family, Kamalamma lives with all her children and a few of her grandchildren in one house in Kataraki village in Koppal district. "Her family tree has grown over the years with a total of 248 members. She has around 180 grand and great-grandchildren," says Dr Srinivas.

The centenarian woman could be the only fifth oldest patient contracting Covid-19 in the country, while previously, a 110-year-old woman named Siddamma from Chitradurga, a 110-year-old woman in Kerala's Mallapuram district, a 105-year-old woman in Kollam, a 100-year-old lady from Bellary's Huvina Hadagali town beat the odds of high mortality rate among elderly population to recover from Covid-19. In many of these instances, the recovery stories of the oldest generation are inspirational and perhaps perfect for the future case study.

It is not Kamalamma alone. In Koppal district, more than 60 percent of the patients belonging to the high-risk category have recovered from the infection. In City COVID Care Center alone in Koppal, more than 10 elderly people between 60 to 80 years have recovered from the infection. "We have treated more than 10 old people between the age group of 60 to 80. They were hospitalized, treated, and discharged here in the COVID center. There are no complications whatsoever, and all of them are healthy now," says Dr Sangameshwar Hiremath, a frontline warrior attached to the City COVID Care Center in Koppal.

Dr Sangameshwar Hiremath attributed the phenomenon to the "traditional lifestyle and food habits" of the elderly people. "The elderly people could fight the infection since most of them lead a healthy traditional lifestyle and follow good food habits. Our ancestors and elderly people have far better immunity levels compared to this generation. This is mainly because of their traditional lifestyle and food habits. They also do not have comorbidities like diabetes, hypertension, or obesity. The immunity levels of people living in rural areas as compared to the urban areas is higher, at least in Koppal this seems to be the case," Dr Sangameshwar Hiremath said.

More than 35 people were admitted with COVID symptoms in the City COVID Center in Koppal. Of the 35 COVID patients, around 25 people were aged between 35-60 years. "The remaining 10 were between the age group of 60 to 80," said Dr Sangameshwar Hiremath. Interestingly, Dr. Hiremath also pointed out that not a single child in the district contracted the virus. "Most of the patients are from district and taluka places and not from rural areas (villages)," Dr. Hiremath said.

Dr Hiremath's message: Rediscover and rebuild your lifestyle and food habits to keep Covid-19 and other diseases at bay.