There was alarm when a quarantined traveler from the January 27th flight visited the Intensive Care Unite of the LBJ Hospital last week. The traveler is reported to have tested positive for coronavirus.
Both the LBJ Hospital and Deoartment of Health confirmed that a female passenger paid visit to her dying mother who was a patient in the ICU.
On the way to the hospital last Wednesday the woman’s mother died.
The woman’s visit had been arranged prior with the leadership of the hospital and Health Department following set protocols.
It turns out that this was not the first such visit for a dying patient in the ICU?
CEO of LBJ Hospital Faumuina John Faumuina said DOH requested LBJ permission for the female traveler to visit her mother who was in very critical condition.
He said the woman met all DOH and LBJ preventative conditions “otherwise she would not have been allowed” to visit her dying mother.
Dr Elizabeth Lauvao of DOH told KHJ News that as with previous such visits the daughter had to wear protective gear and went to see her mother after hospital visiting hours when there were no other people in the ICU.
She said the daughter was grateful to visit with her mother who had unfortunate it passed away shortly before she arrived at the ICU.
Dr Lauvao explained that after the visit the woman had to remove what she was wearing and wear before returning to the quarantine site.
The DOH official assured that everything was above board and the same protocols that were in place for previous such visits on humanitarian grounds were followed in this case.
