A 104-year-old man in Alabama recovered from COVID-and returned home in time for birthday cake with family

• An Alabama man returned home in time for his 104th birthday after surviving a battle with coronavirus.
• Major Wooten, who turned 104 on Thursday, tested positive for coronavirus on November 23 and was hospitalized later that week, the Associated Press first reported.
• His granddaughter told Insider that she would tell American families to "wash your hands, wear your mask, do what the CDC is telling you to do."

A man in his 100s returned home in time for his birthday after surviving a battle with coronavirus.

The Associated Press first reported that Major Wooten of Alabama, who turned 104 this Thursday, tested positive for coronavirus on November 23 and was hospitalized later that week.

After recovering from the disease, Wooten has returned to stay with his 46-year-old granddaughter Holley Wooten McDonald and her family in Madison, Alabama, according to Wooten McDonald. Although Wooten has gotten "through the worst of it," he still experiences fatigue and brain fog, Wooten McDonald told Insider. "With people that get it, it's not just like you get over it overnight," Wooten McDonald said.

The World Health Organization has urged the public to "work together to protect older people from the virus," as the elderly population is highly vulnerable to death from the coronavirus, Business Insider's Hilary Brueck reported. The US surpassed 14 million confirmed cases of coronavirus as of Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

But Major Wooten has gotten to celebrate his 104th birthday with his family. On Friday, Wooten McDonald told Insider that Wooten's family planned to get a cake to celebrate his birthday. She said that tomorrow, Wooten will sit in front of the window to observe a drive-by parade for his birthday.

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Wooten McDonald told Insider that she would tell American families to "wash your hands, wear your mask, do what the CDC is telling you to do."

"I think we're losing a lot of elderly by not just COVID-19, but loneliness," she added. "I'd like people to really look after their elderly, and just make sure they know they count and that you care about them and that they matter."

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