Investigation: Was 91 year old woman’s death from Covid-19?

Medical staff are investigating the remains of a 91 year old woman whose body was found last night in order to determine if Covid-19 was a factor in her death. The woman was found in her home in Karon, Phuket, after police, rescue workers, and a medical team from the Phuket Provincial Hospital arrived around 6:30 p.m. She was found on the floor at the foot of her bed and her body was recovered using Covid-19 safety measures. The entire home was sprayed with a disinfectant for sanitation. The woman, Puan Kingkaew, was considered high risk for Covid-19 as she was treated about a week before her death at Chalong Hospital next to a woman that was later determined to have the Coronavirus.

That woman, an unnamed 74 year old, had entered the hospital on April 28 feeling dizzy and was later discharged after receiving treatment and medication. She was readmitted on the 30th with complaints of diarrhoea and dizziness. At some point on April 30, she was in the bed next Puan whose death is being investigated for Covid-19 involvement. The next day her symptoms worsened to include difficulty breathing and a fever and doctors x-rayed her lungs and tested her for Coronavirus before moving her to an isolation room. The following day, test results confirmed that the woman did have Covid-19, prompting Chalong Hospital to close until May 10.

The hospital director said that as many as 45 medical personnel and employees were exposed to the woman, and have been admitted to a local quarantine facility at the Royal Paradise and Spa Hospital in Patong. 14 more employees were considered low risk and told to self-quarantine at home and pay attention to any sign of infection.

In addition to the staff, four patients were considered at risk to exposure from the woman, and they and their families were transferred to Dibuk hospital for further treatment. Chalong Hospital announced they will still reopen on the 10th as planned, but if an outbreak of Covid-19 is identified that plan may change.

Meanwhile, medical personnel at Vachira Phuket Hospital are investigating further if the death of the 91 year old woman found in her home did in fact have Covid-19 and succumbed to her infection or complication. A recent case involving an elderly woman dying at home with Covid-19 while waiting for a hospital bed sparked national interest and mourning.

SOURCE: Phuket News