A 53-year-old nurse passed away from coronavirus after her employer refused to test her twice as she was not showing any symptoms.
Lisa Ewald, who worked at Henry Ford Hospital for over two decades, passed away after being exposed to coronavirus.
According to Michigan Radio, Ewald said she believed she was exposed to the virus while working in the emergency room with a patient who tested positive for coronavirus.
Her neighbor, Alexis Fernandez, said the nurse tried to get herself tested. However, her employer refused as she did not show symptoms of coronavirus.
“The fact that they wouldn’t test her, she was back and forth [to the hospital] trying to get a test. She was sicker than a dog and it took forever to get the results.”
Ewald’s family said that she was refused a test two times, according to Fox News.
In an interview with WJBK, Ewald’s niece said that the nurse, who had asthma, developed a cough and high fever before losing her sense of taste and smell.
Fernandez said that Ewald was finally tested on March 30, Monday.
The next day, March 31, Fernandez sent her a text message asking how she was but didn’t receive a reply. “But I was right next door, you can see through the kitchen window. Her lights were on, the TV was on, the garage was open,” Fernandez said.
“I thought, ‘Well, maybe she’s sleeping.’ Because she was having erratic sleeping patterns. I’d charged over there a number of times and she’d say ‘Hey you woke me up!”
But on Wednesday, a nurse from the health system knocked on her door to conduct a wellness check.
“There she was sitting on the couch, gone. It was horrible. Gone. I started yelling, ‘Lisa! Lisa!’ She didn’t move. And I shouted to the nurse, ‘Aren’t you going to take her pulse?’ But I knew she was gone,” Fernandez expressed.
“You know, it’s, to me, unconscionable. She wasn’t given the test [immediately] despite having worked at the hospital in that capacity,” she added. “And it cost her her life.”
System officials said “Currently, the CDC recommends testing employees only when they become symptomatic. Whether at work or at home under self-isolation, if an employee begins experiencing symptoms, they are urged to contact Employee Health and arrange for immediate testing.
“Meantime, we strongly urge anyone who is at home with symptoms to go to their nearest emergency room immediately if symptoms worsen, including a rising fever, uncontrolled cough or respiratory problems.”
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