A hardworking nurse and a father-of-seven has passed away from coronavirus at his home after contracting the killer bug while treating patients.
57-year-old London-based Thomas Harvey worked at Goodmayes Hospital for more than two decades. He was also one of the frontliners responsible for treating coronavirus patients.
Despite the dangers associated with this line of work, however, the nurse’s son claimed his father was only provided with “gloves and a flimsy apron” at his workplace.
After developing what the family believes to be COVID-19, Mr. Harvey self-isolated at his home before passing away all alone in his bathroom.
According to the family, Mr. Harvey wasn’t hospitalized or tested for COVID-19 even after paramedics were called to check on him.
“Why has it taken so long? Why have we had to lose my dad, and similar situations, for you to take action? It is frustrating to think that a situation like this could have been prevented with the correct care from the Government,” the 57-year-old’s son, Thomas, said according to Daily Mail.
As he claimed, he and his family had to break through the bathroom door in order to get to their father.
Recalling the time his father’s condition took a turn for the worse, Thomas said:
“At that point he wasn’t eating for eight days, he wasn’t breathing properly, which you could hear. He was very weak and was complaining about pains but they had told us that his case was mild so he wouldn’t be taken into hospital for treatment. We were like ‘If that’s a mild case, then what’s the worst case?’”
As the heartbroken son added, frontline health workers like his father should have been provided not only with sufficient protective gear but also with testing before the situation spiraled out of control.
“If you’re supposed to be helping other people you should know that you are also well enough to do that and you’re not going to be passing stuff onto other people, because it works both ways,” Thomas said.
“It’s sad that he had to get it but also his role, and what he loved to do, was ensuring the protection and safety of other people and he wasn’t given the opportunity to do that as he wasn’t tested.”
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Replaced!