111-calendar year-old SC girl says secret to extended lifestyle is wine, beer and having the COVID-19 vaccine

GREENVILLE, S.C. – 1 extraordinary South Carolina woman has managed to are living by way of two pandemics in her lifetime: Meet up with 111-calendar year-outdated Maria Aulenbacher.

Aulenbacher is the oldest living resident in Greenville, and recently made neighborhood news headlines after she acquired her to start with COVID-19 vaccine dose, alongside with her 77-yr-aged daughter, Birgit Dickerson, and son-in-regulation.

The centenarian has not only lived extensive plenty of to see the earth consumed by the COVID-19 pandemic — she also lived through the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, which killed an estimated 50 million people during 1918 and 1919.

“I’m just content to have this prospect to aid hold healthier and keep every person all-around me wholesome,” Aulenbacher advised Prisma Overall health, which administered her vaccine in late January, in accordance to a news release. “I can not wait around till I can hug my great grandson once again. I seem ahead to our family securely all currently being with each other. I have skipped hugging my good grandson, Alex.”

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Aulenbacher was the eldest of six youngsters and lived in Germany until finally about 10 many years in the past, when she resolved to transfer to Greenville to be with her daughter, the news release stated.

“We sense we are carrying out our portion,” her daughter explained to Prisma Health. “This was a very simple process, and every person was amazing. As a family, we all have all assumed of our health treatment and frontline pros through the pandemic, our feelings have been with them. We are so grateful to them for all they have completed and the sacrifices they have manufactured.”

Aulenbacher characteristics living such a extensive existence to a few points: remaining lively and looking through each day (she especially favors historical publications and non-fiction), a glass of red wine with lunch, and a beer with meal.

Now, Aulenbacher’s family explained she can insert receiving the COVID-19 vaccine to her checklist of how to are living lengthier.

“She just would like to do whatsoever she can to preserve moving forward,” Aulenbacher’s granddaughter, Christina Dickerson, informed Prisma Health and fitness. “She appreciates what it can be like to have a horrendous day, and she feels blessed for every very good working day that she has. She experienced no hesitation with finding the vaccine at all.”

“Any individual with more mature, much more susceptible household users is familiar with how terrifying this past calendar year has been. It’s just been awful. And, now, we at last have a glimpse of light-weight and staying in a position to get steps to return to some kind of normality. We know that we all want to proceed to take smart precautions – as very well as receiving them their next doses – but, genuinely, this just feels like the get started of a turning level,” Dickerson claimed.

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Aulenbacher was praised by health care personnel at Prisma Health and fitness for being a pioneer and environment an illustration for those people who are questioning obtaining the vaccine.

“This sensible female is location the illustration for all of us. I hope every person will adhere to her direct and roll up their sleeves to get their possess shots when suitable,” Dr. Saria Saccocio, Prisma Well being main healthcare officer for ambulatory expert services and co-chair of the system’s vaccine undertaking pressure, mentioned in a information launch.

“But let us all don’t forget that neighborhood immunity will choose time, specially because we don’t anticipate vaccines getting greatly readily available for all age groups right until the summer season,” Saccocio included. “For the time staying, we all need to have to continue to socially length, have on masks and clean hands often. If you are sick, remember to stay household and call your health care companies to what see what subsequent methods are ideal for you.”

Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases have dropped at U.S. nursing houses and other prolonged-time period treatment amenities above the earlier couple weeks, presenting a glimmer of hope that well being officers attribute to the commence of vaccinations and an easing of the publish-holiday getaway surge and improved avoidance, among the other reasons.

Coupled with greater figures for the state in general, it really is bring about for optimism even if it truly is far too early to declare victory.

So far, a full of 36.8 million people today have been vaccinated in the U.S., according to the U.S. Facilities for Condition Command and Prevention’s COVID data tracker.

The weekly rely of new fatalities stays stubbornly higher, with a document 7,042 recorded in the course of the 7-day span that ended Jan. 14 and only a slight drop given that. By comparison, for the seven times that finished on Thanksgiving, 3,181 fatalities ended up recorded. More encouragingly, the COVID Monitoring Job uncovered that only 251 amenities claimed new outbreaks just lately, when compared to 1,410 in early January.

The Associated Push and FOX Company contributed to this report.