Coronavirus: Woman identified as first person in UK to die from Covid-19 after catching it in hospital

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health

Get our free Health Check email

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

An 80-year-old woman has been identified as the first person to die from coronavirus after catching the disease in a hospital in the UK, raising concerns about the safety of patients.

Marita Edwards, who had no underlying health conditions, reportedly went to Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport on 28 February for a routine gallbladder operation.

She later caught an infection which was initially thought to be pneumonia until she tested positive for Covid-19 three weeks after arriving at the hospital and died shortly after, according to The Guardian.

Her death has highlighted the risk Covid-19 could pose to patients being treated in UK hospitals for diseases and illnesses other than the coronavirus.

Public Health Wales (PHW) has not released the identities of the 17 people who have died after testing positive for the virus in Wales, as of Tuesday, and declined to comment to The Guardian on the case.

“We have a responsibility to protect individuals tested and patients being treated for coronavirus,” a PHW spokesperson said.

“For this reason we will not share any information on these individuals other than that published in our official statements.”

Stuart Loud, Ms Edwards’ son, suggested his mother would be alive today if she had not been in hospital during the Covid-19 outbreak.

“If she had not been in hospital she would still be alive,” Mr Loud told The Guardian.

“Clearly there was a coronavirus infection in the hospital which claimed my mum’s life.”

Although Ms Edwards did not have any underlying health conditions, she was considered too frail to be given a ventilator after contracting the virus.

"Our thoughts are very much with Marita’s family at this time and we are deeply sorry for their loss," a spokesperson for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, which runs the hospital, said.

"It would be inappropriate for us to comment on individual cases. However, we would ask the family to contact us directly so that we can help support them and discuss any concerns regarding our services."

They added: “We have strict infection control procedures in place within our hospitals and our staff are taking every possible measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus."

Mr Loud told the BBC on Tuesday he had not been able to organise his mother’s funeral as he was currently in self-isolation due to the virus.

“We couldn’t touch her, we couldn’t hold hands, kiss her, hug her or anything else. We just had to watch her slip away,” Mr Loud said, as he explained how he had to wear protective clothing to see his mother after she was diagnosed with Covid-19.

He also urged the public to “please listen to what you’re being told” and follow measures set out by the UK government to slow the spread of the virus.