Woman who 'died' of Covid returns home 10 days later

A Spanish woman who was believed by her family to have died of the coronavirus returned to her care home nine days after her relatives were told she had been buried.

Due to a mix-up over names, the family of Rogelia Blanco, 85, was told that she died of the coronavirus on Jan 13 and her funeral was held the next day, according to a report.

They were unable to attend her last rites due to coronavirus protocols.

To her husband Ramon Blanco’s surprise, she arrived fit and well back at the care home in Xove, northern Spain on Saturday last. “I could not believe it. I was crying, after the death of my wife,” he said, adding that it was the woman who shared a room with Blanco who had died.

The San Rosendo Foundation, which runs the care home, said the error occurred when Blanco and other residents who tested positive for COVID-19 were transferred to another care home on Dec 29 for specialised treatment.

“Among the elderly people transferred were two women who were assigned the same room,” the foundation said.

“An identification error during the process of transfer from Xove to Pereiro de Aguiar led to the death of one of them being certified on Jan 13, although the identity was wrongly assigned,” the report said.

The foundation expressed its regret for the “unfortunate incident.” “This is a one-off event, among the more than 100 transfers that have been made since last December to Os Gozos,” it added.