102-year-old Italian woman dubbed 'Highlander' beats COVID-19 She spent more than 20 days in the hospital

Prof. Martin Giancarlo Icardi, Director of the Hygiene Laboratory, with the COVID-19 working group at the San Martino Hospital in Genoa, Italy. Prof. Martin Giancarlo Icardi, Director of the Hygiene Laboratory, with the COVID-19 working group at the San Martino Hospital in Genoa, Italy. Photo: Massimo Lovati/AGF/Universal Images Group Via Getty Images Photo: Massimo Lovati/AGF/Universal Images Group Via Getty Images Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close 102-year-old Italian woman dubbed 'Highlander' beats COVID-19 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

A 102-year-old Italian woman who spent more than 20 days in the hospital with COVID-19 has recovered from the disease, CNN reported.

Italica Grondona was admitted to San Martino Hospital in Genoa in early March for “mild heart failure,” according to her doctor, Vera Sicbaldi.

She also had mild coronavirus symptoms, so she was tested for COVID-19 and found to be positive. Despite her age, her heart condition and the infection, she required little medical intervention, doctors said.

"We nicknamed her 'Highlander' – the immortal," Sicbaldi told CNN.

Doctors say Grondona, who was born in 1917, is the first person they know of to contract COVID-19 and also live through the Spanish influenza pandemic that killed 50 million people in 1918-19. They took serological samples to identify what antibodies she might carry.

With all of the tough news coming out of Italy, I wanted to make sure you saw these stories as well! This is Italica Grondona, she's one of two Italians over 100 years old who have recovered from coronavirus.. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/KN82YnRB3E — Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta) March 27, 2020

Grondona was released to a care home on March 26.

"I don’t know what her secret is, but I know she is a free and independent woman," her nephew Renato Villa Grondona said.

A study released March 18 found that 15 percent of COVID-19 patients over the age of 80 died.

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:

Sign up for 'The Daily' newsletter for the latest on coronavirus here.

—

Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Digital Reporter. Email: moffitt@sfgate.com. Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate