A 95-year-old woman from the tribal-dominated Keonjhar district has beaten Covid-19 after a 15-day long fight.

She has set an example for others at a time when many people are losing the battle against the virus out of sheer panic.

The nonagenarian Sushila Bala Pahi, who was the first woman Zila Parishad chairperson of Keonjhar district from 1997 to 2002 and is a noted Congress leader of the area, was found infected with Covid-19 on April 15 and was kept in isolation in a hotel under the supervision of the chief district medical officer of the district, Ashok Das.

Das told The Telegraph: “A team led by me was treating the patient who was very optimistic from the beginning and fully cooperated with us. Despite having a heart problem and some other diseases she beat Covid-19. Though during the course of treatment, her blood pressure often fluctuated but she never panicked.”

Pahi has a son and a daughter, both of them well settled. Her son, Kanan Bihari Pahi, who has also been diagnosed with Covid-19 and currently under treatment, said: “My mother is an inspiration for all of us. She talks to me over phone and constantly boosts my morale.”

Kanan said he had taken both the doses of Covid-19 vaccine but his mother has taken only the first dose. He wondered how they contracted the virus even after taking the vaccine.

“Our will power has played a major role in her recovery,” he noted.

Assistant professor, Psychiatry, SCB Medical College and Hospital, Dr Seema Parija said, “The morale of Covid patients should remain high. They should be constantly supported by other family members. There is no need to be panic. A healthy mind can defeat Covid-19.”

So far 4.57 lakh people have been recovered from the disease in the state where 2,215 Covid deaths have been recorded so far.