Story By: Lisa-Maria Goertz, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash

The youngest person to die with coronavirus in Argentina was 14 and she died alone in an isolated hospital ward with her family unaware she had even been infected.

The teenager, Nazarena Magali Ramirez, lived with her mother and two brothers in the small city of Presidencia de la Plaza in the northern Argentine province of Chaco.

According to sources close to the family, Nazarena died on her own in isolation and her mother, who was not allowed in to see her when she passed away, only found out afterwards that she had tested positive for coronavirus a few days previously.

According to local media, Nazarena is believed to have contracted the virus in the hospital, where she was admitted with high fever after battling with deteriorating health since November.

The teen had started suffering with poor health in November and reportedly complained of kidney pains, she was repeatedly sent home with antibiotics until in April she was sent in an ambulance to a larger hospital in the province called La Resistencia.

A close friend of the family and neighbour Roxana Obregon, told local media:

“We were all scared because we knew that in la Resistencia they were suffering from the worst outbreak of coronavirus in the province.

“But her fever wouldn’t go down and something had to be done.”

On arrival, doctors diagnosed Nazarena with appendicitis and she underwent an operation to remove her appendix, however, after various days she still was not improving.

According to local media, more tests were done and finally, the doctors were able to diagnose her with Lupus, an autoimmune disease where your body attacks healthy cells.

Roxana told local media how the mother of the daughter, who had been sleeping in the corridors of the hospital, called her and said: “She suffered from respiratory failure, but I don’t know anything else. I can’t go in and see her.

“Afterwards at about 4 in the afternoon she called again and told me that Naza had died. Until that moment nobody had told her anything about COVID-19.”

According to Roxana, the hospital confirmed later on how they had done a test a few days previously which the teen had tested positive for and shortly before her death had moved her to a special isolation ward.

The Mayor of the city Diego Bernachea told local media: “It is very possible that Nazrena was infected in the hospital.”

The sister of the teen, Rocio, wrote on Facebook: “Sister, what can I say, I am destroyed… but I am calm that you are with your grandparents resting and you aren’t going to suffer anymore. I am so sad about what happened but I know you are in a better place.”

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