Shadrach Stoll, the country’s latest fatality from the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) had a history of health complications, including diabetes and hypertension.
In a telephone interview with Stabroek News yesterday, his sister, Olive Stoll, explained that she rushed him to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) last Saturday after his blood pressure and sugar surged above the normal rates.
Shadrach, 59, a resident of Sophia, was admitted the same day, during which he was tested and confirmed to have COVID-19.
Prior to being hospitalised, Olive said, Shadrach showed no symptoms of the disease.
“He was very sick. He was a diabetic and he had his pressure…he had bad kidney, he troubles with his heart and all of that …he had a cough…I took him to the hospital because of the diabetes and his foot was swollen…That guy was sick for years with diabetes,” Olive explained.
She said that over the past month, she was back and forth at the hospital with Shadrach. “I been running with my brother to the hospital like one month ago…I believe is the diabetes and all them things that he had,” she noted.
Olive related that during her visits to the hospital, Shadrach showed signs of improvement. However, she said, he was isolated. “He was good. He was walking strong. His foot had gone down and he was looking good…they had him in a room by himself,” she said.
On Monday, Olive related that a nurse at the GPH telephoned her and told her that Shadrach was being transferred to the Diamond Hospital but did not provide a reason or give any details. She said she did not ask either.
However, Olive said, she began to worry on Tuesday when she telephoned Shadrach on several occasions to enquire how he was doing and he could not respond properly since he was experiencing shortness of breath. “…I asked him how he was feeling. I couldn’t really recognise how he speaking because his words start to fade,” she said.
She added that later in the day, she called back and the situation had worsened. “…I heard him trying. He was breathing heavy, very heavy and he could not have respond. He could not have answered me,” Olive said.
According to the sister, she ended the call and became more worried. “I start worry because I realise is something,” she said.
She noted that calls to Shadrach’s phone afterwards went unanswered.
Olive further explained that on Wednesday, she learnt of Shadrach’s diagnosis with COVID-19 and his passing via Facebook.
Olive said it was her daughter who related the news to her. “My daughter came home from work and…she always does go on the computer. When she go on the computer, she say ‘mommy uncle Shadrach dead. A 59-year-old man died in Diamond Hospital and he is a Stoll’ and she start one crying,” she related.
At this point, Olive said, the family was still unsure if Shadrach had indeed died.
However, she said, she subsequently received a call from her niece, who is a doctor, and she confirmed his death. “…The nurse that admit him [Shadrach] in the Geogetown Hospital is friend to one of my niece and she called her and tell her that this man died and she believe is one of our relative and that is how I confirm,” Olive said.
The woman told this newspaper that while Shadrach was hospitalised, neither he nor any medical offical informed her that he had tested positive for COVID-19.
She said following his demise, she learnt that Shadrach had told his brother, who resides in the United States, about his disgnosis.
COVID-19 causes respiratory illness, with symptoms including coughing, fever, and in more severe cases, difficulty breathing and death. It was first recorded in Wuhan, China and has since spread across the globe causing the World Health Organization to designate it a global pandemic.
Stoll is the country’s latest death from the deadly virus.
The first victim, a Good Hope, East Coast Demerara woman, died on March 11th while the second death, that of Jermaine Ifill, was recorded on Tuesday.
Hours before Stoll’s death on Wednesday, Guyana recorded its third death from COVID-19, that of 78-year-old Osa Collins from New Amsterdam.
During a daily update yesterday afternoon, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Karen Gordon-Boyle announced that as of Thursday, the number of confirmed cases in Guyana had increased from 19 to 23.
Gordon-Boyle also said that the number of deaths remained at four, while the number of persons tested to date has increased from 75 to 83.
