MORNING SERIAL
SHE caught the disease and according to reports at the time was told she had pneumonia. Three weeks later she died of the virus and was believed to be the first person to die from a hospitalacquired infection of Covid-19.
Marita’s case was significant for several reasons and, in microcosm, illustrated the predictability of the unfolding disaster. She was an early example of the failure to test. For a considerable period she was not tested for the disease. The issue of testing capacity, who to test and when to test is one of the recurring themes of the crisis. What can be measured can be managed. Without testing, how could public health officials possibly be expected to manage the disease?
For almost three weeks, Marita was inside a hospital and could have had coronavirus for most of that time. She was cared for by hospital staff and visited by family. All of whom could have been exposed to the disease. Those staff will have probably also have come into contact with dozens of people over the following days.
It was hugely significant that she caught the disease in hospital.
It very quickly became apparent how dangerous hospitals were becoming for sick people. To suggest that we didn’t know that hospitals would be the places most at risk from the virus is laughable.
It is the exact location where people who have a severe form of the virus would go and exactly where many people at risk with an underlying health condition would be also.
Marita Edwards’ case was also significant as an early example of how hospitals tried to cope with new situations arising from the virus. According to her son, she was isolated in the last week of her life once there was a suspicion that she had the virus. She was moved to an isolation ward. Her family could only visit wearing masks, gloves and aprons. This was the case all over the country. In the Gwent ICU they actually started using iPads so that people could speak to their family digitally without catching the virus.
> Lockdown Wales by Will Hayward £9.99 www.serenbooks.com/ productdisplay/lockdown-wales ISBN 9781781726013
CONTINUES TOMORROW