99-year-old West Vancouver man recovers from COVID-19 in retirement home

Reuben Huva made a full recovery after contracting coronavirus at Hollyburn House earlier this month
Andrea Ross · CBC News · Posted: Mar 28, 2020 4:43 PM PT | Last Updated: March 29

Reuben Huva, 99, gives a thumbs up after being declared free of COVID-19 on Wednesday. (Linda Horspool)

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A 99-year-old West Vancouver man who tested positive for COVID-19 has recovered completely and is back to his "cheerful old self," his daughter says.

Reuben Huva, who lives in Hollyburn House retirement home, started developing minor symptoms earlier this month, Linda Horspool said.

He was tired, not eating well and had a slight cough, so staff initially thought her father had a cold, she said. On March 11, she got a call saying he'd tested positive for COVID-19. 

"We were probably seeing what was dad's death sentence," recalled Horspool, a retired doctor.

"I didn't really think a 99-year-old in a wheelchair could possibly survive it, to be honest."

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Huva has dementia and was not completely aware of what was going on, Horspool said. Confined to his room, he asked what all the fuss was about.

Horspool was able to visit him wearing a mask, gloves and gown. She tried to explain to him that he had the flu, but he told her he felt fine. Other family members were able to see him and communicate through his closed window. 

After a few days, his symptoms resolved and he was back to being his "cheerful old self," Horspool said. 

He tested negative for the virus and was declared recovered on March 25, she said. 

'A sigh of relief'
Twelve long-term care homes in the province have had at least one resident or staff member test positive for coronavirus, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Saturday. 

Huva and a staff member are the only two people who have tested positive for COVID-19 at Hollyburn, said Graham Freeman, regional director of operations for Revera, which runs the care home. 

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He said they were "ecstatic" that both Huva and the other staff member have fully recovered, he said. 

About a dozen staff and a dozen residents have been tested for the virus, he said.