Bereaved coronavirus patient cries as Spanish hospital turns her away
Elderly woman bursts into tears as she is turned away from a Madrid hospital because she was ‘not sick enough’ to be treated for coronavirus – hours after her husband died
- Footage showed the heartbroken woman gasping outside a hospital in Madrid
- Her children comforted her outside despite risk of being infected themselves
- Hospitals have had to ration beds in intensive care to cope with patient numbers
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
A bereaved woman was turned away from an intensive care unit in Spain because she was not sick enough to be treated for coronavirus – just hours after her husband had died.
Footage showed the heartbroken woman gasping for breath outside the Hospital General in Madrid after she was told she would have to take care of herself at home.
Her children comforted her outside the hospital – despite the risk that they would also be infected.
Hospitals in virus hotspots such as Spain and Italy have had to ration beds in intensive care to cope with the growing crisis.
This bereaved woman was left crying and gasping outside a hospital after she was turned away by medics because she was not sick enough to be treated for coronavirus
The woman’s distress was captured in a BBC News report with cameramen warned to wear masks to avoid infection.
Doctors told the widowed woman to go home because she was not unwell enough to take one of the limited beds available.
Outside the hospital the woman was gasping, having difficulty breathing and visibly struggling to retain control of herself.
She and her children were all wearing masks, but the woman had to take hers off to help her breathe.
The woman’s husband had died in the very same hospital the previous night. The report did not say whether he had died of coronavirus.
Doctors in virus hotspots such as Italy and Spain have described having to decide who gets access to intensive care – which can often be a life-or-death decision.
Temporary hospital facilities have been springing up across the continent as medics try to cope with the constant rush of new cases.
In Italy, there are emergency plans for patients older than 80 to be denied access to intensive care if there is a shortage of places.
Outside the hospital the woman was gasping, having difficulty breathing and visibly struggling to retain control of herself
The woman’s children comforted her outside the Hospital General in Madrid – despite the risk that they would also be infected
A map showing the latest numbers of coronavirus infections around Europe on Monday
The outbreak in Spain has become the worst in Europe outside Italy, with nearly 1,000 new infections registered in the last 24 hours.
The total number of cases is now 8,744 while another nine deaths bring the total to 297, Spain’s health ministry said today.
Of the total number, Madrid remains the worst-affected region, with 4,665 cases.
Spain has declared a state of alert, shutting all but essential services and ordering its population of 46 million people to stay at home.
People are only authorised to go out to buy food or medicine, to go to work or to get medical treatment.
The message has been broadcast with drones and loudspeakers, with violators facing a fine.
Britain’s Foreign Office is now advising against all but essential travel to Spain because of the coronavirus outbreak.
The same advice is in place for Italy and for mainland China, where the outbreak began late last year.
There are also similar warnings for Iran, although Britons were advised against travelling there anyway because of political tensions.
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