A French nun has been named the oldest known person in the world after battling Covid. 

Born a decade before the start of the First World War, Sister Andre celebrated her 118th birthday in February 2022, just over a year after contracting the coronavirus. 

Living in a care home near the coast of the Mediterranean, and using a wheelchair to get around, Sister Andre starts every morning with Mass, despite being blind. 

Despite the achievement, Sister Andre's real goal has not yet been reached - she wants to reach 122-years-old, overtaking Jeanne Calment, a fellow Frenchwoman who died in 1997. 

Despite being in a high-risk group, Sister Andre said she was largely asymptomatic after catching the coronavirus in 2021.  

She is said to have been unafraid of the virus, but showed concern for the other people living in her care home. 

At the time, David Tavella, the communications manager for the home in which Sister Andre lived during her illness, told the Van-Matin newspaper: "She didn't ask me about her health, but about her habits.

"For example, she wanted to know if meal or bedtime schedules would change.

"She showed no fear of the disease. On the other hand, she was very concerned about the other residents."

In January, 81 of the 88 people living in the care home contracted Covid-19 and around ten of them died, the newspaper reported.