A 103-year-old grandmother in Italy is believed to be the oldest woman to overcome Covid-19.

Ada Zanusso, from Biella, fell ill just over a week after the country was put into lockdown, suffering from shortness of breath and vomiting.

According to reports, 21 residents who caught the virus at Ada’s care home had died.

But now, much to her doctors’ amazement, Ada has managed to pull through.

One of her four sons, Giampiero, told The Sun: “I suspected it was coronavirus because of the number of cases at the care home.

“They have sadly had a few fatalities there. But she has now recovered well and the doctors think she is the oldest person in the world to recover.”

This isn’t the first pandemic she has lived through – Ada also survived the Spanish flu of 1918 to 1920, the death toll of which is believed to have been anywhere from 17 million to 100 million.

Speaking about her incredible recovery, Dr Carla Furno Marchese added: “She is up and about and not lying in bed and she can walk to her chair.

“She has lost none of her lucidity and intelligence.

“Her recovery is a great joy for us and a sign of good hope for all that are suffering in these difficult days.”

Last night (Sunday 5 April), Queen Elizabeth II made a special broadcast to the nation, urging people to stay strong during this most extraordinary of times so that future generations can look back and can be proud.

The Queen said: “I am speaking to you at what I know is an increasingly challenging time.

“A time of disruption in the life of our country: a disruption that has brought grief to some, financial difficulties to many, and enormous changes to the daily lives of us all.”

She also used the speech to praise NHS staff and other key workers for their ongoing hard work throughout the crisis.

The Queen then thanked those who were staying inside to help slow the spread of the disease, before adding: “I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge.

“And those who come after us will say that the Britons of this generation were as strong as any.

“That the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good-humoured resolve and of fellow-feeling still characterise this country.”