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“ We still had a bit of everything to do ”
Alexandra Fredericks, 69, from Fordingbridge, Hampshire, struggles to digest the death of her husband Jeremy, 74. He died at Salisbury Hospital on January 25, 2021, after contracting coronavirus.
“Jeremy was hospitalized on January 9 to have a pacemaker installed. He was unable to undergo the procedure immediately and was therefore still in hospital on January 15 when a patient was brought to the coronary department, which proved he had Covid. Three days later, the doctors at the hospital told us that he had caught the virus and that he would have to wait 10 days to have his pacemaker, ”she recalls.
“We have counted the days back, but on January 24 he became slightly ill, before his condition suddenly deteriorated overnight. The next morning he was dead.
Fredericks says she was told her husband contracted the virus in one of the three wards he was admitted to and the hospital attempted to release him after he tested positive.
“Doctors admitted he caught Covid in hospital. I asked, “Could he have brought it with him?” And they said, “No, he tested negative twice.” I’m lucky the hospital admitted he caught Covid on the ward as it would have been too difficult to take otherwise.
“Within three days of testing positive, he was told he could go home and come back on an outpatient basis. I have a 96 year old mother, so that was not an option, ”says Fredericks.
“The doctor who signed his death certificate phoned me and told me he was mentioning Covid as one of the causes of death, alongside two of his previous ailments, and said that my husband was going to be referred internally for review, whatever that means. I never asked how he got infected because I didn’t think they would tell me. We didn’t see his notes and didn’t ask for them, because, you know, he’s gone now.
Fredericks knows her husband was fragile, but he is convinced that he died needlessly before his time. “Jem had multiple underlying health issues, but he was not on the verge of death when he was taken into care. He is said to have survived the procedure and is still alive and at home now. At the end of the day, I blame the government.
“He still had a few years in him and we had plans. We had one more thing to do: one more trip to Belgium, one more trip to visit family and friends, to feel the sun again – he worshiped the sun. Nothing would have stopped him except that. It was a huge shock.
Stacey Hunter, Managing Director of Salisbury NHS Trust, said: “Our hearts go out to the family at this difficult and painful time. Our staff have been following Public Health England’s infection prevention guidelines closely throughout the pandemic. ”
‘It just wasn’t fair ‘
While Fredericks believes she has had at least some sort of closure upon learning that her husband was infected in hospital, Kevin Stevenson, 57, has so far felt unable to understand the exact circumstances of the death of his partner.
Dr. Aruna Narshi, 50, has taught cancer molecular biology and mathematics at Solihull College and University Center. She died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham in September.
“She went to the hospital for spinal surgery right after our second birthday in August. She had been protected for months and tested negative for Covid on admission, and her operation was a complete success. She stayed in the hospital for a week, recovering her mobility. It was a miracle, in less than 24 hours she was able to walk again, ”says Stevenson.
Earlier that year, Narshi was diagnosed with cancer, but Stevenson believes she would not have died when she did, if she had not been infected with Covid.
“We were told that she was not going to live very long, but they did not give us a specific time frame, and the decision was made that she should have this major spinal operation to improve her quality of life. life.
“She couldn’t wait to get home. They were all about to release her, but about a week after the operation she had a temperature and suddenly tested positive for Covid. She was supposed to come home on Friday. Monday she was dead. She never even made it from a ward to intensive care. It was horrible. It just wasn’t fair.
Stevenson was too distraught to know how his partner got infected with the virus. However, the hospital informed his brother in December in a letter – seen by the Guardian – that two other patients in his ward had been asymptomatic cases of Covid, and that “staff were having breaks together without adequate social distancing, this which led to isolate “.
The hospital apologized for “the incident” but never explicitly acknowledged that Narshi caught Covid while in their care. “From my perspective, it doesn’t matter, it won’t bring her back either,” Stevenson says. “She was an absolute diamond and she didn’t deserve this.
A spokesperson for University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, which runs the Queen Elizabeth, said: “The trust offers its deepest condolences to the family, friends and relatives of Dr Narshi.
“The impact of this pandemic in hospitals and in our communities has had tragic and profound consequences for many, including the sad death of Dr. Narshi. We will continue to review each case and learn the lessons necessary to support staff efforts to protect our patients from infection. “
‘I would fully support a survey on hospital transmission rates ”
Terry Carr, 61, of Southport, lost his 84-year-old mother, Yvonne Moore, to Covid-19 in April last year, and is still seeking answers.
“My mother was admitted to Southport & Formby District General Hospital on April 6, 2020, after suffering a fall. She was otherwise well but the GP, who looked scared herself, said she needed to be admitted to the hospital despite our protests. Upon admission she tested negative for Covid-19, but the doctor informed me that she was in a room with Covid-19 patients, but was “protected” in a side room Carr explains.
Her mother, Carr recalls, appeared to be relatively well over the next few days and her discharge from the hospital was supposed to take place on April 11. “She was doing absolutely fine, but a week after her stay she started to deteriorate rapidly and on April 18 we learned the shocking news that she had tested positive. She died alone, frightened and in distress, on April 30. It was horrible.
Carr cannot understand how her mother would have caught the virus before she was admitted. “She was only visited by a private caregiver, who was very careful as her own family was vulnerable, and myself – and neither of us had symptoms, nor physical contact with my mother.
“I discussed with his doctor how this could have happened. He said she could have gotten a false negative when she arrived at the hospital, and catching her on the ward was never mentioned as a possibility. I would fully support a survey of transmission rates in hospitals. My mother had just turned 84, but she definitely passed away before her time.
A hospital source said Moore was treated as a Covid-positive patient when she was admitted after her fall, although she had not yet tested positive because she was showing symptoms of the disease.
Steve Christian, Deputy Managing Director of Southport and Ormskirk Hospital Trust, said: “Our hearts go out to Ms. Moore’s family as the anniversary of her death approaches. The trust has implemented robust infection control measures in line with guidelines from Public Health England, which staff have been following closely throughout the pandemic.
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