Coronavirus: 104-year-old World War II veteran Bill Lapschies oldest person to beat COVID-19

The family of a 104-year-old man who lived through the Spanish Flu pandemic and fought in World War II have described his most recent successful battle.

A World War II veteran who just turned 104 could be one of the oldest people on the planet to survive COVID-19, his family said this week.

William “Bill” Lapschies — whose birthday was on Wednesday — was one of the first two residents of the US state of Oregon to test positive for the illness at the Edward C. Allworth Veterans’ Home in the city of Lebanon, local station KOIN reported.

To date, 15 residents have tested positive and two have died, according to the report.

Mr Lapschies — who has two grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren — has been isolated in his room since he first showed symptoms March 5, according to the report.

He was diagnosed with the bug on March 10, The Oregonian reported.

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Bill Lapschies is probably the oldest person to have survived coronavirus so far.

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A few days later, a doctor from the nursing home called Mr Lapschies’ daughter Carolee Brown to say he wasn’t doing well — his temperature had spiked and his breathing was laboured, according to the report.

Ms Brown spoke with the doctor about end-of-life decisions.

But as of this week, Mr Lapschies “has met the guidelines by the CDC and Oregon Health Authority to be considered recovered from COVID-19,” a VA spokesperson told KOIN.

His recovery came just in time for his 104th birthday celebration.

A caregiver brought him outside in a wheelchair, wearing a mask and a World War II veteran hat.

His family gathered to meet him — but didn’t get too close, following social distancing guidelines.

Mr Lapschies told the station it feels “pretty good” to be 104.

“I made it,” he said, before pausing and adding, “Good for a few more.”

Mr Lapschies lived through the Spanish Flu, the Great Depression, and a couple recessions, Carolee’s husband, Jim Brown, told the station. He was stationed in the Aleutian Islands during WWII.

“Bill’s pretty resilient,” he said.

“It seemed like he just made this wonderful recovery,” Carolee added. “We were like shocked that he was kind of sitting in his wheelchair waving at us through the window and we were like, ‘He’s gonna make it!’”

“His smile, I wish you could have seen it,” granddaughter Jamie Yutzie said. “That mask covers it but his smile is absolutely contagious.”

Two 103-year-old women have reportedly survived the coronavirus — one from China and one from Iran, according to reports. A 101-year-old man from Spain also beat the bug.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission.