When Muzaffer Kayasan first caught Covid-19, he thought he was destined to die since he was already suffering from leukaemia. Fourteen months and 78 straight positive tests later, he is still alive - and still battling to shake off the infection.

Kayasan, 56, has Turkey's longest recorded continuous Covid-19 infection, doctors say, possibly due to a weakened immune system from his cancer. Despite being in and out of hospital since November 2020, his spirits have been high.

"I guess this is the...