A veteran infected with the new coronavirus died Sunday at the Kansas City VA Medical Center, four days after the patient was admitted to the hospital, officials said Monday.
The veteran, who was in their 60s, died from COVID-19 complications after feeling symptoms about 10 days before admission.
Medical staff spent hours troubleshooting video platforms, such as FaceTime and Zoom. The veteran’s family made a video that staff looped. Immediate relatives were virtually present when the veteran died, according to the hospital, which offered its condolences.
“We know this loss will be felt by our veteran patients as well as our staff,” David Isaacks, the medical center’s director, said in a statement. “We urge everyone to continue being vigilant and supportive of each other as we all work together to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect each other, especially those most vulnerable.”
The veteran was not enrolled with the medical center before the recent admission.
The death was one of at least 30 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among the medical center’s patients and staff.
As of Monday, Missouri has reported 2,367 cases and 34 deaths, state officials said. In Kansas, officials have recorded nearly 850 cases and 25 deaths. Missouri has tested about three times as many people as Kansas.
Nationwide, there were more than 337,900 cases and 9,600 deaths as of Monday morning, according to a database maintained by Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, there were more than 1,289,000 cases and 70,590 deaths.
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