Singapore's oldest Covid-19 survivor dies at 103 after being warded at TTSH for 'stomach pain'

SINGAPORE - More than a year after beating the coronavirus, Singapore's oldest Covid-19 survivor died in the early hours of Sunday (Sept 19).

Madam Yap Lay Hong had suffered from intestinal obstruction before she died, said her second son, Mr Alan Ho. She was warded at Tan Tock Seng Hospital on Sept 12 after she complained of stomach pain.

The 73-year-old retiree told The Straits Times: "A CT scan was done on her and the doctors found that her intestines were blocked. Surgery was needed, but my family decided not to go ahead with the operation as we were told that the success rate is low and there would still be a lot of suffering after the surgery."

"We opted to put her on a drip in the hope that the blockage would clear on its own. But she passed away early Sunday morning."

The then 102-year-old was among the rare centenarians worldwide battling Covid-19 when she tested positive in April last year.

Madam Yap, who became the oldest Singaporean to survive the virus, was among 15 residents and staff at the Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home in Thomson who caught the virus. A staff member's relative was also infected. Three residents in their 80s and another aged 97 died last year.

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Madam Yap is survived by two sons, two daughters, 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Her husband and their first child - the oldest son - have died.

Mr Ho said his mother, who was fully vaccinated in April, was still "very lively" when he visited her at the nursing home a week before she was hospitalised. He saw her again last Friday (Sept 17).

"All our family members saw her before her passing. She was always asking for one of her grandsons and he visited her two to three times. She didn't respond much as she was sedated, but she would open her eyes to see who visited her," said Mr Ho.

"In just one week, she's gone. As she was sedated, I think she didn't feel much pain or suffer too much before she died. It's a blessing for her."

Mr Ho said the family celebrated Madam Yap's birthday every September, but they do not know the exact date she was born. Her NRIC shows only her year of birth - 1918.

Madam Yap Lay Hong (left) with her second son Alan Ho at the Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home, in a photo taken on June 25, 2020. PHOTO: Courtesy of Alan Ho

Madam Yap's death was sudden and unexpected as she had been healthy, he added.

"She had been through a lot of hardships and she always overcame them. My mother was a survivor," said Mr Ho.

Madam Yap was born in 1918 during the Spanish flu - the world's worst pandemic - which reportedly killed more than 50 million people worldwide, including 2,800 in Singapore.

Covid-19 was her worst experience during which she spent a month at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, yet she pulled through, said Mr Ho.

"My mother also survived the Second World War and then the Bukit Ho Swee fire in 1961," he recalled.

"When I was young and we were poor, she would make kueh and cookies to supplement the family's income.

"Despite the hardships, I think my mother lived a full life. She had travelled to more places than me. She had been to Australia, England, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia... In between those hardships, she managed to find her own happiness."

Madam Yap having durian puffs (left) during tea break at the Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home on May 2, 2020, a day after her discharge from Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Madam Yap had moved to the home in 2018. PHOTOS: Courtesy of Alan Ho

Madam Yap moved to the Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home in 2018 and shared a room with seven others.

A nurse manager at the home, who wanted to be known as only Ms Selvii, 56, described Madam Yap as someone who was fiercely independent and preferred doing things herself.

"She would feed herself and didn't require any assistance, but we would help her to shower. She took good care of herself. She was very neat and clean and always made sure she looked presentable," said Ms Selvii.

"She liked to look at herself in the mirror. She would look at herself in a handheld mirror and apply Oil of Olay cream on her face every day. We will miss her."