default-output-block.skip-main
National | Christchurch

An elderly lady in her 90s loses her life to COVID-19

The Ministry of Health has today confirmed the country's second death linked to COVID-19.

A woman in her nineties passed away yesterday at Burwood Hospital in Christchurch. The woman just recently tested positive for COVID-19 and had experienced a number of common age-related health conditions.

Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay says the woman was one of a group of 20 residents transferred from Rosewood Rest Home and Hospital to Burwood Hospital earlier in the week as part of the Canterbury District Health Board cluster management process.

However because of the current Alert Level 4, no family members were able to visit the woman in hospital in recent days and were not able to be present when she passed away. However, hospital staff were able to provide her with comfort and support. Understandably, the family are grieving and officials have asked that their privacy be respected.