Woman who ‘died’ from COVID comes back alive and doing well 9 days later

An 85-year-old woman who is believed to have died from the coronavirus surprised staff and relatives by returning to her care home nine days after learning she had been buried, a Spanish newspaper reported on Sunday.

Following an identification confusion, Rogelia Blanco’s family were informed that the retiree had died of COVID-19 on January 13. His funeral took place the next day but, due to coronavirus protocols, the family were unable to attend.

However, the following Saturday Blanco returned in good shape and health to the care home in Xove, in northern Spain, where she was living.

Her husband, Ramón Blanco, also a resident, explained to The voice of Galicia journal his immense relief to see her.

“I couldn’t believe it. I was crying, after my wife died,” he said.

It was actually a patient who shared Blanco’s room and who had died. According to the San Rosendo Foundation, which manages the facility, the error occurred when 11 residents were transferred on December 29 to the Os Gozos Residence in Pereiro de Aguiar, 139 miles from Xove.

The company was using the site as a treatment center for patients suffering from COVID, with transport overseen by an ambulance service attached to the local hospital in Burela.

“Among the elderly transferred, there were two women who were assigned the same room,” said the foundation. “An identification error during the process of transferring Xove to Pereiro de Aguiar led to the death of one of them who was certified on January 13, although the identity was wrongly assigned.”

A funeral was held the next day as the case of a mistaken identity went unnoticed, with coronavirus restrictions banning open-casket funerals, reducing the possibility for anyone to rectify the mistake.

The foundation said it regretted “the unfortunate incident”.

“This is a one-off event, among the more than 100 transfers that have been made since last December to Os Gozos,” he added.

A court had been informed and will overturn the administrative error related to the report of Blanco’s death, the statement said. The foundation did not immediately respond Newsweekrequest for comment from.

The foundation also explained that it had “stepped up” the practices used to monitor patients following the accident, as well as to inform the two families involved of the error that had occurred.