A 63-year-old female “resident patient” of the Mental Health Rehabilitation Centre (MHRC) has become the 9th COVID-19 fatality in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) further said, late on Saturday, that the woman was diabetic and had a chronic psychiatric condition.
She tested positive for COVID-19 on Feb. 27 and was transferred to the temporary isolation facility.
On March 8, the patient was admitted to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital COVID-19 Ward with COVID-19 pneumonia and uncontrolled diabetes.
She became progressively worse, requiring ventilation on March 10 and died on Saturday, March 13, at 7:50 p.m. from respiratory failure.
At least 103 cases of COVID-19 — 94 patients and nine staff members — have been confirmed at the MHRC.
The patients are being housed at a temporary isolation centre at the Glad Tidings Campsite in Queen’s Drive.
Meanwhile, NEMO said that there were no new positive case from the 111 samples received and processed on Friday.
Two persons were cleared bringing the number of total recoveries to 1,129, while 542 cases remain active.
SVG has recorded 1,680 cases of COVID-19 since March 2020.
“The public is urged to use a mask, sanitize, physically distance and get vaccinated to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The walk-in vaccination site at the Victoria Park will be open from 9 a.m. on Tuesday,” NEMO said.
When I read that “the patient was admitted to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital COVID-19 Ward with COVID-19 pneumonia and uncontrolled diabetes” I wonder who is responsible for providing basic health care to a “resident patient” of the Mental Health Rehabilitation Centre. If appropriate basic health care was being provided, how would the diabetes be “uncontrolled?”
Maybe because she was mentally ill. Most cases of uncontrolled chronic illnesses are due to non compliance. It is possible that she may have been refusing medications or not complying with her dietary requirements. This is common in mentally ill patients.