This photo provided by the Sainte-Catherine Laboure care home communications manager shows Lucile Randon, Sister Andre's birth name, in Toulon, southern France, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. A 116-year-old French nun who is believed to be the world’s second-oldest person has survived COVID-19. French media reported that Sister André tested positive for the coronavirus in mid-January in France’s southern city of Toulon. (Sainte-Catherine Laboure care home/ David Tavella via AP)
A 116-year-old French nun who is believed to be the world’s second-oldest person has survived COVID-19 and is looking forward to celebrating her 117th birthday on Thursday.
The Gerontology Research Group, which validates details of people thought to be 110 or older, lists Frenchwoman Lucile Randon — Sister André's birth name - as the second-oldest known living person in the world.
French media report that Sister André tested positive for the virus in mid-January in the southern French city of Toulon. But just three weeks later, the nun is considered recovered.
“I didn’t even realize I had it,” she told French newspaper Var-Matin.
Sister André, who is blind and uses a wheelchair, did not even worry when she received her diagnosis.
“She didn’t ask me about her health, but about her habits,” David Tavella, the communications manager for the care home where the nun, told the newspaper. “For example, she wanted to know if meal or bedtime schedules would change. She showed no fear of the disease. On the other hand, she was very concerned about the other residents.”
Not all of the home's residents shared Sister André’s luck. In January, 81 of the 88 residents tested positive for the virus, and about 10 of them died, according to Var-Matin.
Once doctors declared the nun no longer infected, she was allowed to attend Mass.
The largest South American airline altered its travel policy because Taylor Swift was supposed to perform in Argentina's capital on Friday but moved the date to Sunday because of inclement weather.
Los Angeles motorists should expect traffic snarls indefinitely as crews assess how much damage was caused by a raging fire that closed a major elevated interstate near downtown, officials said Sunday.
The MCU superhero factory hit a new low with the weekend launch of “The Marvels,” which opened with just $47 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Fans have pushed the Fisher-Price Corn Popper into the National Toy Hall of Fame, elevating it from perpetual finalist to 2023 inductee, alongside baseball cards, Cabbage Patch Kids and NERF foam toys, the Hall of Fame announced Friday.
During an interview with an elephant keeper in South Africa, the keeper was talking about the baby elephant he looks after whose name is Chavo, who immediately runs over to the keeper once he hears his name and starts playing with him.