Coronavirus: 99-year-old becomes Algeria's oldest patient to recover

North African country has 3,382 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 1,508 recoveries

Municipal workers dressed in protective gear rest while on duty disinfecting a street during the coronavirus pandemic in Algeria's capital Algiers. AFP

A 99-year-old man thought to be the oldest patient in Algeria to recover from Covid-19 was discharged from hospital late on Sunday.

The man, identified only as Massoud, spent two weeks under treatment at Bouira hospital, 100 kilometres east of the capital, Algiers.

"Massoud is in good health, he has fully recovered from the virus and was able to fight it despite his age," said Mohamed Al Ayeb, director of health in Bouira province.
Mr Massoud's two sons were admitted to the same hospital after being infected with the novel coronavirus.

"Ismail, 45, recovered from the virus, while his eldest son Abdel Salam, who was suffering from a chronic disease conditions, died this week,” Mr Al Ayeb said.

Algeria has more than 425 deaths from Covid-19, the highest toll in Africa. The latest death was of a 9-year-old girl.

There have been 3,382 confirmed cases and 1,508 recoveries in the country, according to the health ministry.

Algerian officials imposed strict measures to curb the spread of the virus at the beginning of the outbreak last month.

But authorities eased confinement measures from the first day of the holy month of Ramadan last Friday by shortening a night curfew and lifting a full lockdown for a province near Algiers.

Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad's office said the full lockdown in the Blida province south of Algiers would be replaced with a curfew from 2pm to 7am while a 3pm-7am curfew in nine other provinces, including Algiers, would be shortened to run from 5pm to 7am.

The government made no changes to the measures in the remaining provinces where a 7pm-7am curfew has been imposed for weeks.

“The government reiterates its call for citizens to remain vigilant,” the prime minister’s office said. “Changing or keeping the confinement measures will depend on the evolution of the epidemiological situation.”