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An elderly Spanish woman stunned her family when she showed up at her nursing home — more than a week after they were told she had died of COVID-19.
Rogelia Blanco’s relatives were informed the 85-year-old woman died of the virus on Jan. 13 and that her funeral was the next day, according to the La Voz de Galicia newspaper. They were unable to attend due to protocols in place during the pandemic.
But on Saturday — 10 days later — she arrived back at the home in Xove, northern Spain. Her husband, who also lives there, was in a state of shock.
“I could not believe it,” her husband told the paper. “I was crying, after the death of my wife.”
The confusion happened when Blanco and other residents who tested positive for COVID-19 were transferred to another home, the Os Gozos residency in Pereiro de Aguiar, about 139 miles away, for specialized treatment late last month.
The woman who died was in fact Blanco’s roommate.
Farmland seen in the area of Xove, Spain. Alamy Stock Photo“Among the elderly people transferred were two women who were assigned the same room,” the San Rosendo Foundation, which runs the Xove nursing home, told the paper. “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 foundation expressed its regret and called the mix-up an “unfortunate incident,” according to the paper.
A lighthouse located in Xove, Spain. Alamy Stock Photo“This is a one-off event, among the more than 100 transfers that have been made since last December to Os Gozos,” the statement said.
A court has been informed to reverse the mistake.
With Post wires
