Hero nurse, 63, who came out of retirement to join NHS frontline dies from coronavirus along with four hospital workers
A HERO nurse who came out of retirement to join the NHS frontline has died from the coronavirus along with four other hospital workers.
The tragic news of the death of Gareth Roberts, 63, comes after Matt Hancock earlier announced that 19 NHS staff had died during the outbreak.
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Grandfather Gareth was described as a “much-loved and dedicated” member of the health team working at a number of hospitals around Cardiff.
He is the second confirmed health worker in Wales to die following a Covid-19 diagnosis after leading heart surgeon Jitendra Rathod died on Monday.
Gareth worked for the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board since the 1980s, which confirmed that he passed away at the neighbour Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil.
It follows the news of the tragic death of Leilani Dayrit, 47, who tragically passed away from suspected coronavirus after displaying symptoms while at work.
Mrs Dayrit’s daughter told the BBC her mum passed away on Tuesday, and that she was “selfless until the very end”.
The NHS trust also today confirmed the death of Julie Omar – a highly experienced trauma and orthopaedics nurse who had most recently been working as a sister at Redditch’s Alexandra Hospital in Worcestershire.
In a message to colleagues, Trust chief executive Matthew Hopkins said the 52-year-old would be remembered as “a much-loved member of our nursing team”.
He added: “Julie, who was just 52, had been self-isolating at home after developing symptoms of Covid-19, but sadly her condition deteriorated and she died at home yesterday (Friday) morning.”
It was also announced earlier that two porters at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford had tragically died of the coronavirus.
The two men worked as porters at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, according to Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Tributes have already been paid by colleagues to the two heroic porters.
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An Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said: “It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the deaths of two members of staff, both of whom were porters at the John Radcliffe Hospital and both married to members of our nursing teams.
“Both men were popular and hard-working members of our fantastic team of porters at the John Radcliffe Hospital. They will be sorely missed by their colleagues as well as family and friends in the wider community.
“Our thoughts are with their wives and families as well as their close colleagues. The families have asked that their privacy be respected at this very sad time.
PPE EMERGENCY
It comes after the government has faced criticism regarding a lack of protective equipment being provided to NHS staff.
Earlier today, Home Secretary Priti Patel said she is “sorry if people feel there have been PPE failings” following the deaths of frontline NHS staff.
Stories have emerged of nurses forced to share protective equipment despite being on the frontline of the pandemic.
There have also been reports of exhausted medics forced to cut up hospital curtains to make makeshift gowns due to a lack of protective clothing, and others snapped wearing rubbish bags around the bodies and mouths.
MOST READ IN NEWS
The news comes as the coronavirus death toll in the UK rose to 9,875 today.
That is a leap of 917 in the last 24 hours up from yesterday’s total of 8,958 as the country remains in lockdown battling against the virus.
Yesterday Britain’s coronavirus death toll jumped by 980 in 24 hours – making it the biggest rise yet and more deadly than Spain’s worst day of their outbreak (961).