At a time when the COVID-19 figures in Maharashtra is witnessing an upward trend, a 90-year old man from Beed district has beaten the deadly infection twice and is living to tell the tale.
The nonagenarian has attributed his recovery to clean habits, a healthy lifestyle and a positive attitude.
Pandurang Atmaram Aglave (Adaskar), a resident of Adas, first contracted coronavirus infection in November, 2020 and managed to recover after undergoing treatment for 10 days at a government facility in Kej.
Speaking to PTI about his fight against the deadly disease that has killed lakhs of people around the world, Pandurang said, "When I contracted the infection for the first time, the severity of it was less. However, the road to recovery wasn't easy the second time around.
When Pandurang tested positive again earlier this month, he was admitted to a COVID-19 care centre in Lokhandi Sawargaon of Ambajogai and was discharged after five days, only to be rushed to Swami Ramanand Teerth Medical College's treatment facility, from where was discharged on April 17.
"My father's high-resolution computerised tomography (HRCT) score was 18, when he got infected the second time and it took him a little longer to recover. But thankfully, He leads a disciplined lifestyle and has no comorbid conditions till now," Pandurang's son Vishnu said.
Revealing the secret to beating the disease, Pandurang said, "Youngsters today are easily turning towards addictions and don't exercise to keep fit. I go for walks regularly and have lived a stress-free life, which has helped me a great deal."
Even as patients kept dying of the disease in the hospital, Pandurang managed to stay positive.
"I was given oxygen but I did not take any stress and concentrated on my health and diet," he added.
The nonagenarian's positive attitude also had an impact on doctors and medical staff who treated him at Swami Ramanand Teerth Medical College.
"There were a few patients who boosted the morale of the medical staff. Aglave was mentally strong, which helped him defeat the illness. I often spent an extra 10 minutes with him when he was undergoing treatment here," said Dr Siddhershwar Birajdar, the hospital's COVID-19 in-charge.
