'Fit and healthy' nurse in intensive care after contracting Covid-19
23 March 2020, 10:07
A 36-year-old nurse in Walsall is on a ventilator in a critical condition after contracting Covid-19.
Areema Nasreen, who is described by her sister as "normally fit and healthy", is being treated for coronavirus in an intensive care unit at Walsall Manor Hospital in the West Midlands, where she also works.
She is said to have been on annual leave when she started showing symptoms and was not believed to have got infected at work.
Her 22-year-old sister Kazeem Nasreen, who works at the same hospital as a healthcare assistant, told Sky News her sibling could have picked up the virus "virtually anywhere" and has urged people to take it more "seriously".
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Never thought I could see this amazing day. Thank u to Walsall Manor Hospital for believing in me. Countles's people one who was me struggle to believe that they have the right to dream. But please follow through, and yes with commitment compassion support dreams do come true. pic.twitter.com/gR2P101B5P
— Areema Nasreen (@AreemaNasreen) April 24, 2019
Also speaking to BirminghamLive on Sunday, she said: "My sister who is an amazing nurse on the front line and who always helps so many has now caught this virus.
"She is critically ill in ICU [intensive care unit], on a ventilator and fighting for her life.
"I want everyone to know how dangerous this is. My sister is only 36 and is normally fit and healthy.
"People are not taking this seriously enough. She is young - it is not just the elderly who are at risk."
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The fabulous @AreemaNasreen shared a truly inspirational personal story and what it means to put the nurse uniform on #BPD2019 @WalsallHcareNHS pic.twitter.com/iWT03gbYIH
— Kuldeep Singh (@KuldeepNHS) May 10, 2019
Ms Nasreen added that her sister was making "tiny little progress" on the ventilator, and that her family were "heartbroken".
The hospital staff, she said, had gone "above and beyond" in their care for her.
"Areema loves the NHS. Her colleagues are like a second family and they have been truly amazing with her - and us.
"They are keeping us all strong and doing everything they can for her."
READ MORE: UK coronavirus death toll reaches 281 as 48 die in a single day
In the UK, more than 5,000 people have been confirmed to have the virus, while 281 people have lost their lives.
The youngest victim in the UK is reported to have been 18 years old.
Globally, more than 340,000 people have contracted the virus, while more than 14,000 people have died.
