An emergency room nurse described by his colleagues as a “warrior” on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic has died from the disease, according to state health officials.
Luis Rigoberto García Medina, a nurse at Hospital General in Tijuana, was admitted on Monday to the same emergency ward where he worked. He had symptoms of fever, exhaustion and a dry cough, hospital administrators said.
García passed away on Wednesday, according to hospital officials. He was the first medical professional actively treating patients at the state hospital to die from the disease.
Medical professionals working in the federal health provider system have died from COVID-19 in Baja California, including the recent death of an emergency room medic who worked at one of Tijuana’s federally funded public hospitals, health officials said Thursday.
Colleagues at Hospital General described the 42-year-old García as a leader and a fierce worker, often putting in extra hours with patients to help them battle the virus.
“He was always a leader to many, caring and totally dedicated, both to his family and to his work team,” said his nursing colleague Jorge Cárdenas Hernández. “In addition, he was always very professional and attentive for the benefit of our patients. He gave a lot for those who needed him.”
The public hospital has been overwhelmed by patients during the past weeks, with at least four people dying in the parking lot before receiving any care during the weekend before the Christmas holiday. Currently, hospital occupancy is around 84 percent.
Baja California’s top health official said García’s death was painful for himself and medical workers across the state.
“Yes, it does affect our state of mind and morale because losing our medical professionals hurts. It hurts very much,” said Dr. Alonso Óscar Pérez Rico, the secretary of health. “He was the first active worker at Hospital General to lose the battle (against the disease) … Those are the ones that hurt the most — precisely because they risk themselves by taking care of patients.”
Nurses placed a memorial outside the hospital with pictures of García, along with candles and flowers. Several medical personnel on Thursday were wiping away tears as they visited the alter to deliver more bouquets. A candlelight vigil had been held for him the night before.
Some of García’s coworkers described him as noble, kind and humble, and a person who always kept a positive attitude.
During the state government’s daily briefing, streamed on Facebook, Pérez Rico strongly denied local media reports that García could not afford the medication he needed to treat the illness.
“His prognosis upon arrival was very unfavorable,” explained the health secretary. “When he began to receive medical attention, he was already in a very difficult battle.”
Before his death, a Facebook post — supposedly from a colleague — begged the community to deposit money in an account for medicine for the nurse “who gave everything for society” and “never missed a day of work.” Officials said they were investigating the authenticity of the post.
“In reality, almost all of us have been infected at one point or another,” said a nurse outside the hospital who asked not to be identified because she was not authorized to speak to the media.
“The problem is there really is no good treatment or medicine that works for everyone against this disease,” she added.
State health officials have begun collecting and verifying data from health workers in order to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine beginning in the next few weeks.
