Tributes have been paid to a dental nurse who died after testing positive for Covid-19, with colleagues describing how she brought ‘love, light and joy’ to everyone she met.
Linnette Cruz, 51, died on April 14 after being treated for coronavirus in the intensive care unit at Morriston Hospital in Swansea.
Mrs Cruz was senior head nurse at the Brynteg dental practice in Sketty, Swansea.
Dental nurse Linnette Cruz, 51, from Swansea, pictured, is the latest NHS worker to have lost her life to coronavirus
The mother-of-one died after being treated in the intensive care unit of Morriston Hospital in Swansea
Ms Cruz, pictured, is survived by her husband Jeonardy and their son Jeonard, as well as her sister Rose and her parents
Practice owner Nik Patel said her friends and colleagues were devastated by her death.
‘She brought love, light and joy to everyone around her and will be sadly missed by all,’ he said.
Mrs Cruz leaves husband Jeonardy, son Jeonard, sister Rose and her parents.
She trained in the Philippines and came to Swansea several years ago.
She qualified as a dental surgery assistant whilst working for Kee Dental Care and Parkway Clinic and joined Brynteg as an extended duty dental nurse before rising to senior head nurse.
Karl Bishop, dental director for the Swansea Bay University Health Board, added: ‘Linnette’s death is deeply upsetting to her family, friends and colleagues and all our thoughts are with them.
‘She was a highly committed and caring dental nurse, respected by her colleagues, patients and the communities in which she worked.
‘Any death to Covid-19 is a very sad event, and where it affects a healthcare professional it is particularly upsetting.
‘The health board will provide all necessary support to the practice and staff during this difficult time.’
Ms Cruz’s death followis the tragic death of a 28-year-old pregnant nurse in Luton.
Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, 28, who worked as a nurse on a general ward at Luton and Dunstable University Hospital for five years, died on Sunday.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock, pictured, said 27 NHS staff have been confirmed as Covid-19 victims, including heavily pregnant nurse Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong
Her baby daughter was delivered successfully by caesarean section and is doing well, according to the hospital, although it is not clear whether she has also tested positive for the disease.
Ms Agyapong’s husband is currently self-isolating and has also been tested for Covid-19.
The Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said that Ms Agyapong tested positive on April 5 and was admitted to the hospital she worked at on April 7.
A Gofundme page set up on Wednesday morning had raised £59,018 by early Thursday morning.
‘Mary was a blessing to everyone she came across and her love, care and sincerity will be irreplaceable,’ organiser Rhoda Asiedu wrote on the page.
‘I am raising this funds for her immediate family; her husband, AJ and her baby girl little Mary, who was born at the time of her demise.’
Ms Agyapong had been working at the hospital until at least March 12, well into her third trimester, Channel 4 news reported.
But the hospital said it did not have any coronavirus patients before she took maternity leave.
Colleagues paid tribute to Ms Agyapong, who also went by her married name Mary Boateng, on the GoFundMe page.
Renai Mcinerney wrote: ‘Sister Mary was my colleague, I worked alongside her for a few years. She deserves her family to be looked after, after she devoted her life to the NHS as a nurse.’
Heavily pregnant nurse Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, 28, pictured, died after contracting Covid-19. Medics were able to save her baby who was delivered by emergency caesarean section
Caitlin Green posted: ‘So sorry to Mary’s family and friends for her loss. She will live on in her beautiful baby girl.’
Health Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC Breakfast there had ‘very sadly’ been 27 verified deaths amongst NHS staff with coronavirus.
He said the story of 28-year-old Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, a pregnant NHS nurse who died from Covid-19, was a ‘terrible one’.
‘I think these are incredibly heart-rending. The story of Mary, as you say, is a terrible one,’ he said.
‘It’s something that I feel very strongly and I think the whole country, uniting as we are in our support for the NHS and carers across the board.
‘We’are all deeply touched and moved by deaths of nurses like this.’
Health Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC Breakfast there had ‘very sadly’ been 27 verified deaths amongst NHS staff with coronavirus.
He said the story of 28-year-old Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, a pregnant NHS nurse who died from Covid-19, was a ‘terrible one’.
‘I think these are incredibly heart-rending. The story of Mary, as you say, is a terrible one,’ he said.
‘It’s something that I feel very strongly and I think the whole country, uniting as we are in our support for the NHS and carers across the board.
‘We’are all deeply touched and moved by deaths of nurses like this.’
Mr Hancock said every death amongst NHS staff was being investigated to find out “what we can do better” to protect those on the front line.
Asked about the supply of PPE and testing of NHS workers, he told BBC Breakfast: “In each case, it’s important to investigate exactly what the reasons were.
“Because of course some of my NHS colleagues will have caught coronavirus from patients in the line of duty, others may have it caught it and not been at work.
“What we want to learn is what we can do better to protect our frontline workers both in the NHS and in social care, hence investigating each case to find out what happened.
“And I think we owe that to our colleagues as well who have given their lives in duty and in service.”
