When 97-year-old Brazilian Gina Dal Colleto was hospitalised on April 1 with coronavirus symptoms, few could have thought she would survive the deadly virus, according to AP.

On Sunday, however, Dal Colleto was pushed in a wheelchair out of Sao Paulo's Vila Nova Star hospital to applause from doctors and nurses, becoming the oldest known survivor of COVID-19 in Brazil, the Latin American country worst-hit by the outbreak.

The sole survivor of an Italian family comprised of 11 siblings, Dal Colleto lived alone in the port city of Santos, Rede D'Or So Luiz, which controls the Vila Nova Star hospital said in a statement.

“Even with almost a century of life, Gina has a very active routine and enjoys walking, shopping and cooking,” the statement said. “She has six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.”

On Saturday, Brazil's health ministry said 1,124 people had died as a result of the outbreak, with 20,727 confirmed cases.