Although everyone is susceptible to getting infected with N-COVID 19, there are two groups of people who are more likely to contract this virus. These are elderly people, 65 years and older, and people with underlying medical conditions.

In fact, it was reported that, in Europe, 95% of the deaths of N-COVID 19 patients were aged 60 and older and 50% of the deaths were 80 and older.

Even so, this information has not stopped the doctors and nurses from giving them the best medical care they need to recover from this little-known virus.

A 90-year-old Flemish woman knew all this when she arrived at the hospital.

Suzanne Hoylaerts had initially gone to the hospital for loss of appetite and shortness of breath but never left because she tested positive for COVID-19.

As soon as she was admitted into an isolated room, the doctors and nurses proceeded with her treatment. But her health continued to suffer and they wanted to connect her to a ventilator.

How could a ventilator help with her treatment?

The ventilator helps move more oxygen into the lungs of the patient and take the carbon dioxide out.

“A ventilator is a fairly fancy piece of technological equipment which is designed to breathe for somebody who is unable to breathe effectively on their own,” pulmonologist Dr. David Hill explained.

The doctors and nurses included a ventilator in Suzanne’s treatment since she came into the hospital complaining of shortness of breath.

“Lungs are interwoven with blood vessels, which is how oxygen gets into the bloodstream and carbon dioxide gets carried out. COVID-19 makes this exchange more difficult in the most severe cases because a patient’s lungs are inflamed and filled with fluid,” author Fedor Kossakovski wrote in his PBS Science article.

A ventilator may not be a cure for N-COVID-19. But it certainly helps improve the patient’s lung functions and their body to fight off the virus.

So it was surprising when Suzanne refused to get any ventilation treatment. What she said next made sense and was very brave of her to say.

“You do not need to put me on a ventilator. Keep it for the younger patients, I have had a beautiful life,” Suzanne told her doctors.

The hospital admitted her on March 20, 2020. She passed away two days later, on March 22, 2020.

Her daughter, Judith, was devastated. She wasn’t even able to visit her mother once while at the hospital. In fact, she hadn’t even known that her mother had tested positive until she died.

“I can’t say goodbye to her, and I [didn’t] even have a chance to attend her funeral,” Judith lamented.

They followed the safety protocol guidelines of the government. That’s why she had no idea how her mother could have been exposed.

As of April 15, 2020, Belgium has 33,573 confirmed cases, 7,107 recovered patients, and 4,440 deaths from the N-COVID 19 virus.

There are already 2,029,974 confirmed cases around the world, with 494,578 recovered patients and 129,264 deaths. The US continues to be on the top of the list with 616,458 confirmed cases.

A few medical experts share their insights on how to possibly treat COVID-19 and who should get tested. Watch the video below to get to know their thoughts.

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Source: TIME, vrt NEWS, Science Times, CDC, WHO Europe, Boston 25 NEWS, PBS, HLN, Corona Tracker