COVID-19 mix-up left 11-year-old mourning his mother who was still alive

The family of the COVID-19 patient has started planning her funeral after the hospital informed them of her death. However, after a family member went and picked up her belongings from the hospital, the woman was revealed to be alive. The patient's sister spoke about the trauma the incident caused to her 11-year-old nephew.

Andrea from Unterhaching, southern Munich received a phone call from the hospital where her sister had been admitted after being infected by the novel coronavirus. The patient tested positive after contracting COVID-19 from the retirement home where she worked. The weekend before Easter she was admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital in Munich.

Since being admitted, the patient had to be put on a ventilator. Her family was told that her condition was stable but critical. Hours after talking to the doctor about her sister's condition, Andrea received the heart-breaking news that her sister had passed away.

Speaking to a German radio station, Bayern 3, Andrea stated that the hardest part was conveying the message to her 11-year-old nephew. The clinic employee shared that her sister was a single mother. The young child only had his mother and the news of her death devastated him. Andrea spoke about how difficult it was to explain his mother's death to the child.

Two days after receiving the news, Andrea went to the hospital where her sister had been admitted to take her belongings. She was given her sister's bag with a photo of her nephew in it. Her sister's wallet and apartment keys were also there. After taking the belongings, Andrea went to the supermarket before going to the clinic where she worked.

When she was in the parking lot of the supermarket, she got a call from the hospital again. She was informed that there was a mix-up leading to the call. Due to miscommunication between the doctor and the department which had made the call, the family was misinformed. Andrea's sister was still alive and recovering.

Instead of being dead, her sister had gone off the ventilator and was reportedly getting better every day. Even though the family understands that mistakes can happen, they feel that the hospital should not have made such a terrible mistake.

The family has not been able to meet the patient since she was admitted. They have to trust the hospital for updates on the patients' status. Due to the mix-up, their trust has been shaken. The family had informed the patient's workplace of her death and had started planning her funeral. Her son had to undergo the traumatic experience of losing his parent.

Andrea hopes for an explanation and a bigger apology for the incident.