Grandmother, 80, ‘is the first patient to die by catching coronavirus on a hospital ward’
- Marita Edwards, 80, was a ‘very fit lady’ who regularly played nine holes of golf
- The former cleaner was admitted to a Newport hospital for a routine operation
- ‘If she had not been in hospital she would still be alive’ says her son Stuart Loud
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A grandmother who went into hospital for gallbladder surgery is thought to be the first Briton to die by catching coronavirus on a ward.
Former cleaner Marita Edwards, 80, was ‘a very fit lady’ who regularly played nine holes of golf, said her family.
She was admitted to the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, South Wales, for the routine operation on February 28, but died last Thursday, a day after testing positive for Covid-19.
Grandmother Marita Edwards, 80, was a fit and healthy woman who went in to the Royal Gwent Hospital for routine surgery at the end of February
Marita was recovering at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport from surgery on her gallbladder when she contracted coronavirus. The grandmother died last week and is one of five patients to die from Covid-19 at the hospital
Her son Stuart Loud said: ‘Once they had suspicions there might be the corona, they isolated the ward. We then had to go through a protocol, with masks, gloves and aprons.
‘If she had not been in hospital she would still be alive. Clearly there was a coronavirus infection in the hospital which claimed my mum’s life.
‘We couldn’t kiss her… couldn’t hold hands. We took it in turn to hold a mask to her face. She died the most horrific death.’
The mother of two, from Bulwark, Monmouthshire, was one of five patients to die in the Royal Gwent.
The region is the worst hotspot outside London.
Marita’s son Stuart Loud said: ‘If she had not been in hospital she would still be alive. Clearly there was a coronavirus infection in the hospital which claimed my mum’s life.’ The hospital’s trust refused to comment
Company manager Mr Loud, 50, said: ‘I don’t think the resources are there. The medical profession isn’t ready for this.’
The Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, which runs the hospital, declined to comment on an individual case.