Italy's Mr P was born in 1919, during the pandemic Spanish Flu that infected around 50 crore people, almost a third of the world’s population. 

Italy is gripped in the coronavirus crisis like no other nation, and the death toll soars every passing day. What was one of the world’s most revered tourist spots till a few weeks back has been a graveyard for thousands lately. Amid all this, here comes a refreshing story from the struggling European land. Some stories don’t age and stay on earth as folklores. Such is the story of this Italian centenarian, commonly referred to as ‘Mr P’.

The 101-year-old man has recovered from coronavirus and has been released from the hospital confinement. Gloria Lisi, Deputy Mayor of Italian city Rimini, has confirmed the same with ‘hope for others’ and surprise, calling it “truly extraordinary” She said, “even at 101 years, the future isn’t written.”

Mr P was born in 1919, during the pandemic Spanish Flu that infected around 50 crore people, almost a third of the world’s population. An estimated three to five crore people died of it, out of which around six lakhs were from Italy. He survived. His youth was spent during the Second World War, which killed almost five lakhs Italians. 

Nearly 86 per cent of the deaths recorded in Italy due to coronavirus is above the age of 70. Therefore, Mr P’s recovery is even more remarkable. The only other centenarian to survive the pandemic is the 103-year-old Zang Guangfen, from Wuhan, China, the very origin of the disease. 

The total positive cases in Italy is reaching a lakh out of the total global cases of 7.4+ lakhs. Almost 10,800 people (over 30 per cent of global deaths) have lost their lives in the pandemic.