Sister of nurse who died at hospital where workers ‘forced to wear TRASH BAGS’ does not know where his body is
THE sister of a nurse who died from coronavirus after treating patients dressed in trash bags says she doesn’t know where her brother’s body is.
Marya Sherron spoke out about her devastation and shock after the death of her 48-year-old brother, Kious Jordan Kelly.
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Kious died on Tuesday night – a week after he was admitted to the hospital he worked at, Mount Sinai West, where he and other staff dressed in makeshift protective suits made from garbage bags.
A spokesperson for Mount Sinai Health System said she was not aware this was happening and noted that the nurses pictured had other protective uniform on under the bags.
She said: “The safety of our staff and patients has never been of greater importance and we are taking every precaution possible to protect everyone.”
Numb with grief, Marya told CNN: “I don’t know where he is. I don’t know where his body is.
“We don’t know what’s happening entirely.”
Marya, from Indianapolis, described how her brother’s condition rapidly deteriorated within a week.
“Unfortunately everything happened so quickly.
Knowing that he died alone, that’s just gut-wrenching to think about.
Marya Sherron
“He told my parents that he was positive and had corona,” She said.
“Three days later he sent me a text message and shared that he was in ICU and on a ventilator and couldn’t talk or he would choke so he was having trouble breathing.”
Six days later her beloved brother died.
Kious worked as an assistant nursing manager for the New York hospital, but like many in the area and elsewhere, it had been struck by an urgent shortage of personal protective equipment.
A shocking photo of three nurses at Mount Sinai West wearing black garbage bags as makeshift gowns highlighted the severity of the problem.
The photo was captioned: “No more gowns in the whole hospital. No more masks and reusing the disposable ones… nurses figuring it out during Covid-19 crisis.”
Fighting for better protective measures for care workers, Marya, who never got to say goodbye to her brother, said: “If he were still alive today, he would be fighting for their protection. He advocated for them.”
FIGHTING FOR BETTER PROTECTION
She said that her late brother would want all medical and health care workers protected as they continue to be exposed to the virus on a daily basis.
She branded her brother’s death as “too soon, too quick and not necessary.”
Kious’s family said one of the worst parts of his death was the fact they weren’t able to say goodbye to him due to the virus.
Marya said: “Our parents are older and calling them and telling them knowing that none of us could get to him, knowing that he died alone, that’s just gut-wrenching to think about.”
Sources have said that the hospital is treating around 40 patients with coronavirus.
According to the Post, at least four other members of staff who worked with Kious have also contracted the virus.
Yesterday, the Covid-19 death toll hit 365 in New York City.
New York State reported 37,258 confirmed cases – an increase of more than 6,400 from Wednesday morning.
This comes as President Donald Trump accused Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo of “exaggerating” the state’s need for coronavirus ventilators.
The president said he doesn’t think some hard-hit areas need the tens of thousands of machines requested to treat COVID-19 patients, while the Surgeon General agreed some of the numbers were “off.”
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Speaking with Sean Hannity on Fox News, Trump said: “I have a feeling that a lot of the numbers that are being said in some areas are just bigger than they’re going to be.
“I don’t believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators. You go into major hospitals sometimes, and they’ll have two ventilators.
“And now all of a sudden they’re saying, ‘Can we order 30,000 ventilators?’”
Trump’s words were seemingly targeted at Cuomo who recently claimed his state needed 30,000 ventilators.
In a statement to The Hill, a spokesperson said
system “always” provides “all our staff with the critically important” PPE “they need to do their job.”
“If an individual does not have their proper personal protective equipment, they do not go on the floor, period. Any suggestion otherwise is simply not accurate,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson acknowledged that the pandemic is “straining the resources of all New York area hospitals.”
“This crisis is only growing and it’s essential that we not only have all the right equipment but that we come together to help and support one another,” the spokesperson said, adding they are “grieving deeply” over the nursing manager’s death.
The Sun has approached Mount Sinai West hospital for comment.
