Although a death certificate has been issued for Lethem teacher Donna Ambrose-Greaves, indicating that she died as a result of several factors inclusive of a pulmonary haemorrhage, disseminated intravascular coagulation, pneumonia, and COVID-19, her husband says that he was told that no autopsy was possible.
Ambrose-Greaves, 25, died last Saturday night at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH).
Franklin Greaves says he cannot be sure what exactly caused his wife’s death despite what is reported on her death certificate as the hospital has not permitted an autopsy.
Greaves told Stabroek News that while he had requested a post-mortem examination be done on his wife’s body, doctors told him an autopsy was not possible. “The head doctor said that it is not advisable, that they have never done one [an autopsy] before [on a person who would have tested positive for COVID] and they wouldn’t want a doctor to be exposed so they won’t do one. They said they would hand over the body in a [sealed] casket which is currently at Memorial Gardens Funeral Home [and Crematorium]. They said they already concluded that it was COVID that caused her death,” Greaves said.
The GPH Public Relations Officer, Chelauna Providence, when contacted on Sunday about whether an autopsy could be done, had said it was possible to do so. “They can have an autopsy done yes, once we have a test result that states whether or not they (the deceased) was negative or positive. The autopsy can be done with the necessary precautions if it was a positive patient. Usually if we don’t know the result, we [won’t] do the autopsy right away. We wait until we have a result which usually takes about a day then we can advise the person in pathology whether the person was negative or positive so that they can take whatever necessary precautions when they are doing the autopsy”, Providence had explained.
Ambrose-Greaves was air-dashed from Lethem to Georgetown for a blood transfusion after she was found by doctors of the Lethem Regional Hospital to be severely anaemic. It was while at the GPH the woman was confirmed to be positive for the coronavirus and passed away almost a week later on Saturday night after being admitted to the public hospital.
Ambrose-Greaves, according to her husband, began suffering from back pains seven years ago, a month after giving birth to their son. She had since been ailing intermittently from the pains, which would be treated at home or with medication purchased at the pharmacy in the area.
The widower explained that his wife was first taken to the Lethem Regional Hospital early in June but noted that her pains expanded from her back to the rest of her body a month prior to this but the family had chosen not to take the woman to the hospital then as they did not like the way the hospital dealt with patients. As her pains worsened, she was taken to the hospital early in June and her blood pressure was found to be very high. Ambrose-Greaves was admitted for a short period and was advised by the doctor to be on bed rest following her return home.
She was again rushed to the hospital on June 25th and blood tests done showed that she was severely anaemic and in immediate need of blood. Though the late teacher did not travel out of the region, a COVID test was done on her as a sister who had been caring for her had traveled from Georgetown. Greaves noted that two tests were done and both confirmed that she was negative.
Without oxygen
No relative accompanied the woman to Georgetown on the flight, as she seemed alright to go on her own. Jean Regis, a pregnant woman was also on the flight with Ambrose-Greaves along with two pilots and two soldiers. Regis, who has since delivered, told this newspaper that both soldiers were properly covered in masks, gloves and gowns. She said that she was wearing a facemask while Ambrose-Greaves was nearby receiving oxygen and kept complaining of feeling weak. The woman said that after arriving at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), the oxygen tank ran out of air and Ambrose-Greaves was without oxygen for an average of ten minutes during which time she was panting for breath. The Guyana Defence Force ambulance arrived with oxygen and the two women accompanied by the soldiers were rushed to the hospital.
According to Regis, after she arrived at the hospital, she was put into the maternity ward with the other pregnant women on the day she arrived and had her daughter delivered via C-section on Tuesday morning. It was following the delivery that she was put into isolation for about five days while her baby was kept in an incubator as she (the child) was said to be premature and suffering from jaundice. It was also Tuesday (June 30th) when Ambrose-Greaves’ results returned showing that she tested positive for the virus. However, Regis said that she was not swabbed for COVID-19 until Thursday. On Friday night, she obtained her result which showed that she was negative. This past Monday Regis was tested a second time, by which time she had already been taken out of isolation and put with the other mothers in the postnatal care ward. She received her test results on Wednesday showing that she was still negative and was finally allowed to breastfeed her baby. They are both still at the hospital.
Greaves, who travelled out of Lethem by road the same day his wife left via the plane on Saturday June 27th, said his wife related over the phone that she was taken to the emergency room then admitted to the female surgical ward at 2 am on the morning of Sunday, June 28. He last spoke to her about 5 am on the following morning. She was telling him that her throat felt itchy and that she wanted some limes, and also Lysol and sanitizer as there were women in the ward who were coughing.
Greaves noted that by Monday she was complaining of an itchy throat and shortness of breath, which led the doctors to request another COVID-19 test be done. She was said to have gone into a shock sometime later before falling unconscious after which she was rushed to the intensive care unit (ICU). The results of her third COVID test returned on Tuesday night and confirmed that Ambrose-Greaves was positive for the virus. Greaves said he last saw his wife face to face at Lethem before she departed on the flight. The next time he saw her was Tuesday in the ICU but she was still unconscious, a state she remained in up until her death at 11pm on the night of Saturday, July 4. He noted that he wore a gown, gloves and mask and kept his distance while in the ICU. The man said doctors kept his wife sedated as they said it would keep her calm. No blood transfusion was done.
Following the woman’s death, Greaves has since posted a video alleging that the GPH is where his wife would have contracted the virus as she was tested negative for the virus at Lethem. However, the hospital released a statement shortly after his video refuting claims that the woman contracted the virus at the hospital. In regard to this, Providence had also said that while the hospital cannot say where the woman contracted the virus, the GPH is sure that she was not infected after arriving at the hospital. Providence also said that though every person that enters the hospital compound is considered to possibly be carrying the virus and is screened, not everyone is a suspected case and Ambrose-Greaves was not a suspected case until “Sunday, June 28th,” when she began complaining of an itchy throat and was swabbed the same day. Family members however, had said that it was not until Monday June 29th, that the woman was swabbed at the GPH.
The woman’s parents, and sister have since been tested for the virus but their results are negative. Greaves and their son chose not to be tested as they were not exhibiting any symptoms. However, the family has been put in quarantine since June 27th.
Greaves said that following the quarantine period, which should be up over the weekend, he intends to have his wife’s body flown back to Lethem for burial.
