105-Year-Old Woman Who Survived 1918 Flu Pandemic That Killed Her Mom Dies After COVID Battle

Maria Pasquini
·2 min read
Dorene Giacopini holds up a photo of her mother Primetta Giacopini while posing for a photo at her home in Richmond, Calif. on . Primetta Giacopini's life ended the way it began - in a pandemic. She was two years old when she lost her mother to the Spanish flu in Connecticut in 1918. Giacopini contracted COVID-19 earlier this month. The 105-year-old struggled with the disease for a week before she died Sept. 16 Virus Outbreak Double Pandemic, Richmond, United States - 27 Sep 2021
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Josh Edelson/AP/Shutterstock Dorene Giacopini holds a photo of her with her mother, Primetta Giacopini

Primetta Giacopini, who lived through World War II and the Great Influenza pandemic of 1918, has died after a battle with COVID. She was 105.

"I think my mother would have been around quite a bit longer if she hadn't contracted COVID," her daughter Dorene, 61, told the Associated Press.

Primetta was only 2 years old when her mother, Pasquina Fei, died in 1918 at the age of 25, according to the news agency.

"We always talk about ... my grandmother and mother, the only thing that could kill them was a worldwide pandemic," remarked Dorene.

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After Fei's death, Primetta lived with an Italian foster family before moving from Connecticut to Italy in 1929, per the AP.

Although she found work — and love — overseas, Primetta fled the country in 1941, in order to escape Benito Mussolini's rule.

Back in Connecticut, she met her husband, Umbert "Bert" Giacopini, whom she remained married to until his death in 2002. They welcomed their daughter Dorene in 1960.

Dorene Giacopini holds a photo of her with her mother, Primetta Giacopini, from her home in Richmond, Calif. on . Primetta Giacopini's life ended the way it began - in a pandemic. She was two years old when she lost her mother to the Spanish flu in Connecticut in 1918. Giacopini contracted COVID-19 earlier this month. The 105-year-old struggled with the disease for a week before she died Sept. 16 Virus Outbreak Double Pandemic, Richmond, United States - 27 Sep 2021

Josh Edelson/AP/Shutterstock Dorene Giacopini holds a photo of her with her mother, Primetta Giacopini

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Dorene said she first noticed her mother was sick on Sept. 9, according to the Associated Press. At the time, her mother's caretaker, who was also feeling ill, had just returned from an out-of-state wedding with her husband.

"It broke through three vaccinated people," Dorene told the AP of the virus. Fearing that her mother had contracted COVID-19, Dorene made the most of their time together.

"I made sure we said 'I love you.' She did the 'See you later, alligator.' I think we both said 'After a while, crocodile,' " Dorene added.

Shortly after, Primetta was hospitalized and her family later made the difficult decision not to put her on a ventilator, as it was unlikely she could survive. Primetta died two days later on Sept. 16.

"She had such a strong heart that she remained alive for more than 24 hours after they removed the oxygen," Dorene told the AP. "I'm reminding myself that she was 105."

Breakthrough cases — COVID-19 infections that occur in people who have been fully vaccinated against the virus — are rare, but possible and expected, as the vaccines are not 100% effective in preventing infections. Still, vaccinated people who test positive will likely be asymptomatic or experience a far milder illness than if they were not vaccinated. The majority of deaths from COVID-19 — around 98 to 99% — are in unvaccinated people.

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