Family say mum died of Covid-19, death not recorded in tally
Death notice says rest-home resident killed by Covid but it’s not recorded in the stats
Agrieving family believe their elderly relative who was in a West Auckland rest home which became a Covid-19 cluster has died of the virus. A death notice yesterday for Eileen Hunter, 96, who was a resident at CHT St Margaret’s rest home in Te Atatu, died “due to Covid-19” on May 24.
Hunter’s family believe she contracted the deadly virus during an outbreak that infected staff and patients, but her death has not been recorded in the Ministry of Health’s official Covid-19 death statistics. The official national toll is 21. Last night the Ministry of Health confirmed Hunter’s death was under investigation.
A ministry spokesperson said: “We can confirm the last official Covid-19 death was as reported on May 6.
“The ministry is aware of this case. The cause of death is still being investigated. We expect to be able to provide an update today.”
The ministry could not provide further details due to privacy reasons.
“Mum was part of the cluster sent to Waita¯kere Hospital then transferred back to St Margaret’s,” son Patrick Hunter said.
“We are very suspicious of the diagnosis. They confirmed she didn’t have Covid, that’s why she was sent back to St Margaret’s. She didn’t improve after that and we wondered, ‘What will they write on her death certificate?’ That is the dispute. It’s been a total shambles.”
The family are waiting for the death certificate to be signed off.
A Waitemata¯ District Health Board document from April 17 records Hunter as having Covid-19, the same day she and other Covid patients were sent to Waita¯kere Hospital.
St Margaret’s recorded its first Covid-19 case on April 4 and was soon overwhelmed. Residents and staff got infected and others went into precautionary isolation. The DHB sent in nurses and healthcare workers.
St Margaret’s closed to visitors from March 23. On April 7 the DHB was informed of an outbreak. It was blamed for three deaths.
St Margaret’s CEO Max Robins said the ministry was handling information about the cause of death. But he had a message to the Hunter family.
“We are all very sad that Mrs
Hunter has passed away. She was a much-loved resident who will be missed, and our thoughts are with her family during this tough time.”
Patrick Hunter said his mother was a “beautiful woman with a heart of gold”. He couldn’t see her during the lockdown but got to hold her hand an hour after she died on Sunday.
“The last time I saw Mum [on March 9] she wasn’t so sick . . . [then] everything spiralled out of control — staff and patients were getting infected. There is so much going on and we really don’t know the story.
“Mum was sharp as a tack and had a great sense of humour . . . Everyone loved and adored her,” Hunter said.
His mother’s funeral service is tomorrow at 11am at the Holy Family Catholic Church, Te Atatu Peninsula.