A 99-year-old Georgia woman recovered from the novel coronavirus a few months shy of her 100th birthday.
Maude Burke made a recovery after a 17-day hospitalization, reported WKRC. A Facebook video posted by Phoebe Putney Health Systems in Albany showed Burke being rolled out of the hospital last week while staffers cheered.
According to the hospital, Burke is the oldest COVID-19 patient to be discharged from the facility.
“We continue to celebrate with our #COVID-19 patients when they get well enough to go home from our hospitals,” the caption stated. “This celebration was extra special. Maude Burke is … is the oldest COVID-19 patient we’ve been able to discharge. Her strength and determination are amazing, and we wish her well as she continues to recover. Thank you for being an inspiration, Ms. Maude!”
The hospital’s Facebook followers also applauded Burke and the hospital staff.
“I’ve had the pleasure of meeting this ‘Woman of God’ and to see her leaving this hospital is a blessing. I am ecstatic for her and her family,” posted Bettina Moore.“May God continue to heal you every day. And thank you Phoebe for taking such good care of Mrs. Maude and standing in the gap while family could not be there.”
“Great to hear/read/see! When does she turn 100? I’m sure she has lots of stories to tell, she’s survived so much from segregation and Jim Crow to Covid-19,” observed Kristin Journigan.
One of Burke’s relatives posted a joyful message.
“This brings me to tears. My granny….I love her SO MUCH! We prayed so hard for her. I can’t wait to see her,” wrote K.S. Burke.
Albany, a Georgia city about 182 miles south of Atlanta, has become a hot spot for the pandemic. By Thursday afternoon, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health, 1479 people have been diagnosed with the virus and 106 have died in Dougherty County, where Albany is located. The outbreak was traced to two funeral services handled by the same funeral home on Feb. 29 and March 7, respectively. Black people account for 72.5 percent of Albany’s population, according to numbers from Data USA.
