An assistant nursing manager at a New York City hospital where nurses are ordered to wear garbage bags as protective clothing has died of COVID-19.
Kious Kelly, 48, died on Tuesday night at Mount Sinai West hospital in Manhattan a week after he was admitted upon being diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the sister of the top nurse who died does not know where her brother's body is.
Marya Sherron, the sister of Kious Jordan Kelly, said that the family was in grief of their beloved 48-year-old nurse.
New York City is the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S. Healthcare workers have said that they do not have adequate personal protective equipment, such as masks and gowns, to stealthily do their work.
Several nurses in Mount Sinai Hospital were photographed wearing trash bags over protective equipment such as gloves, masks, and face shields.
Some colleagues have blamed the death of the nurse assistant on a shortage of medical supplies at the hospital.
Four other employees have tested positive of the virus.
According to family members, he exhibited a symptom of severe asthma but was otherwise healthy.
An interesting photo shared on social media showed three nurses at Mount Sinai West posing in a hallway while donning in large, black plastic trash bags contrived into makeshift protective attire.
One of the nurses is holding the open box of 20 Hefty "Strong" 33-gallon plastic bags they used to clothe themselves.
Also Read: High Dosages of Vitamin C May Help Treat Coronavirus Patients
One caption on the photo indicated, "NO MORE GOWNS IN THE WHOLE HOSPITAL."
Another caption read, "NO MORE MASKS AND REUSING THE DISPOSABLE ONES...NURSES FIGURING IT OUT DURING COVID-19 CRISIS."
Kelly's colleagues said that the 48-year-old had been treating coronavirus patients.
Mt. Sinai Health System stated on Wednesday that a staff member had died, saying, "Today, we lost another hero - a compassionate colleague, friend, and selfless caregiver."
Kelly learned he contracted the coronavirus almost two weeks ago.
His sister said that she was told he had been in the intensive-care unit but that he did not think he had a serious infection.
New York hospitals and elsewhere have been hit by an urgent lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) including masks and isolation gowns.
Lucia Lee, the senior director of media for the Mount Sinai Health System, released a statement that said the "safety and protection" of Mount Sinai staff and patients "is always and will always be our absolute top priority," particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.
Lee added, "When it comes to staff wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), the facts are very clear: We always provide all our staff with the critically important PPE they need to safely do their job."
The 3 nurses in the photograph said there were no more gowns or fresh face masks throughout the hospital.
Mount Sinai West has 40 coronavirus patients admitted to the entire facility.
Related Article: Hantavirus Kills One in China, May Be Next Outbreak After Coronavirus?
