A 99-year-old World War Two veteran has become the oldest person to beat coronavirus in Brazil.

Ermando Piveta saluted from his wheelchair as medical staff cheered and clapped and a soldier’s trumpet played while he left the Armed Forces Hospital in Brasilia on Tuesday.

The veteran, who was a second lieutenant in the Brazilian Army during the war and served in Africa, said: “Winning this battle was for me bigger than winning the war.

“In war you kill or live. Here you have to fight to live.”

Mr Piveta tested positive for Covid-19 two weeks ago and spent two days in intensive care after developing pneumonia.

But he never needed a ventilator and recovered thanks to his good physical condition, from life in the military, and longevity that runs in his family, the hospital’s director said.

Mr Piveta’s release from hospital was a bright moment in an otherwise darkening scenario as the global pandemic hit Brazil with force this week.

The coronavirus has so far infected more than 25,000 people in the country and killed more than 1,500.