The Minister of Health, Lt Col Jeffery Bostic, confirmed the latest woman to die from COVID-19 was a healthcare worker.
In an audio statement issued this morning, Bostic said the woman was a Nursing Assistant at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and was at Harrison Point for nine days.
“Our fallen sister loved her job; loved caring for people; she was an excellent nurse; well-loved and; well respected. As the first health care worker to die from COVID-19 in Barbados, her death shook the nursing and health care communities yesterday,” Bostic said.
He implored Barbadians to take COVID-19 seriously: “If this young woman’s life is not to be in vain, her death must share two lessons with the rest of this country. Those lessons are: 1) that COVID is no respecter of age of persons and all of us must take it seriously; 2) that we in this country owe a responsibility to each other, to our communities, to our families to be more thoughtful, caring and protective of each other and to follow the health and safety protocols, or we will be placing not only ourselves but someone else in harm’s way.”
Bostic said the country owes healthcare workers an immense debt of gratitude.
“Every day, health care workers in Barbados and across the world go into battle and put themselves at risk in an attempt to keep societies safe. They are our first line of defence, and we owe them an immense debt of gratitude for their service and sacrifice,” he said.
The statement concluded: “The Ministry of Health and Wellness extends deepest condolences to her grieving relatives and friends. I urge Barbadians to pray for this family and others who are mourning the loss of loved ones as a result of COVID-19. I especially ask for your prayerful support for our nurses, doctors, orderlies, general workers and other frontline workers. May she rest in peace.”
