A 98-year-old war veteran, admitted to a naval hospital, has defeated coronavirus, which has affected over 25 lakh people in India since the beginning of the pandemic.
Sepoy Ramu Laxman Sakpal (Retired), living at Nerul in Mumbai, was admitted to Indian Naval Hospital Ship Asvini in a critical state. He was diagnosed with pneumonia due to COVID-19 a few weeks ago.
The veteran's condition was successfully managed at the Naval Hospital, and he recovered from COVID-19 on Saturday (August 15) as India celebrated its 74th Independence Day.
Sepoy Sakpal, from the Mahar Regiment of the Indian Army, has seen it all - from the immediate aftermath of the 1918 Spanish Flu to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, according to the officials concerned.
His successful recovery exemplifies the strength and endurance of the human spirit in adversity, they said.
He was accorded a "warm farewell" at INHS Asvini, the primary naval healthcare centre in the war against COVID-19 and managing the care of serving and retired COVID-19 patients from the Navy, Army, Air Force and Coast Guard, they added.
India has logged over 25.89 lakh coronavirus infections so far; more than 49,000 patients have died. The country is the third worst-hit by the pandemic after the United States and Brazil. However, it has been recording a higher daily surge in Covid cases for the last 12 days.
The coronavirus pandemic originated in China's Wuhan city in December. Since then, over 18 lakh patients have recovered in India. More than 2.14 crore people have been affected across the world; 1.34 crore have recovered so far.
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