75-Year-Old Elderly Woman Contracts Covid-19 From Helper, Passes Away On 14 Dec
The authorities have always urged the elderly, who are more vulnerable to falling severely ill from the coronavirus, to stay home as much as possible during the pandemic.
However, sometimes, even doing so isn’t enough to prevent getting infected.
Recently, Ms Feng, an elderly woman living in Toa Payoh, passed away after contracting Covid-19 from her helper.
The helper had been working for her for the past 5-6 years and was wracked with guilt when she passed.
Helper gets Covid-19 despite taking precautions
According to Shin Min Daily News, Ms Feng, her husband, and the helper had been living together in Toa Payoh for over 5 years.
During this time, the helper had grown close to Ms Feng.
Knowing full well about the risks of Covid-19, especially when she lives with 2 seniors aged 75 and 83, the helper did not dare head out on weekends.
She was reportedly cautious and would only go out on Fridays to do some grocery shopping.
She would also make sure to take a shower upon returning home.
Despite taking these precautions, the helper came down with a sore throat and a fever one day.
A subsequent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test on 18 Nov returned positive and the helper was conveyed to an isolation centre on the same day.
Ms Feng and her husband then took an antigen rapid test (ART) and tested negative.
Having contracted a lung disease 3 years back, Ms Feng was bedridden and was in poor health.
Erring on the safe side, she was sent to the hospital for a check-up while her husband self-isolated at home for 7 days.
Elderly woman’s condition deteriorated
Upon hospitalisation, Ms Feng was found with lung infections.
On 20 Nov, she tested positive for Covid-19 and was transferred to National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).
Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, her son, Mr Wang shared that throughout the hospitalisation period, her condition was stable and even showed signs of improvement.
But within a few days, Ms Feng’s condition deteriorated and her breathing became weaker.
On Monday (13 Dec) night, NCID informed Mr Wang that his mother’s situation wasn’t looking good.
Mr Wang rushed down to the hospital and stayed from 8pm-4am before returning home.
However at 5am, he received another call from NCID telling him to come down immediately.
By this time, his father’s self-isolation period had ended and the helper had also recovered, so he picked them both up before heading to the hospital.
Helper kneels and cries when elderly woman passes away
Sadly, Ms Feng passed away at 6.45am on Tuesday (14 Dec).
While Mr Wang and his father grieved their loss, the helper was wracked with guilt after learning of her death.
According to Shin Min Daily News, she insisted on seeing Ms Feng with her own eyes, kneeling outside the hospital ward in tears.
Despite the unfortunate way things played out, Mr Wang said he does not fault the helper. He also advised her not to blame herself.
She will continue to be employed under the family and care for Mr Wang’s father.
Son urges people to get vaccinated
Mr Wang shared with Shin Min Daily News that his mother was an optimistic individual who cared deeply for her family.
However, due to her underlying health conditions, she was not eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine.
Mr Wang took the chance to remind everyone of the importance of getting vaccinated, especially for the elderly.
Condolences to Ms Feng’s family
It is unfortunate that despite doing her best to stay safe, the helper was still infected with the virus.
This is also a hard-hitting lesson for all who are not vaccinated. If you know of friends or family who are unvaccinated, do convince them to get inoculated ASAP.
MS News sends our sincerest condolences to Ms Feng’s family. May she rest in peace.
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Featured image adapted from United Channel and Shin Min Daily News on Facebook. Left image for illustration purposes only.
