A 99-year-old woman – thought to be the oldest COVID-19 survivor in the UK – has paid tribute to the “wonderful” staff who treated her.
Carrie Pollock, who is from Hayling Island near Portsmouth, was admitted to Hampshire’s Queen Alexandra Hospital in early March with suspected pneumonia, a water infection and hallucinations.
While there, her temperature soared, and doctors confirmed she had contracted coronavirus after testing her for the condition.
Speaking to the Metro newspaper, the former special branch police officer who was stationed in Kenya said: “I had malaria twice while I was in Africa and that was probably a little worse than coronavirus.
“I am really happy to be back at home now though listening to all my audiobooks. I am doing very well. I would like to say thank you to all the doctors and nurses who helped me. They are wonderful people, they were really kind, and they talked to me about Africa a lot, so I liked that.”
Carrie, who is will turn 100 in November, making her the oldest COVID-19 survivor, lives with 73-year-old Peggy Hitchcock, whose husband William was Carrie’s nephew.
Peggy said: “We didn’t want her to go into hospital as we were quite worried, but the staff were absolutely amazing and couldn’t have done more for her.
“We visited her every day when she was being treated for her hallucinations and pneumonia but when the doctor called to tell us she had COVID-19, we were devastated because we couldn’t see her and worried we wouldn’t again.
“For her it was horrible as well as she is nearly blind but blow me down she is still going. Carrie is like a mother to me because I came from such a big family. I can’t thank the staff enough for how they treated her and I think they are all angels.”
Carrie is one of the latest of a series of stories showing us that the coronavirus isn’t unbeatable! Check out these other fantastic stories from this young teacher and this man with type 1 diabetes!
