A hospital worker died from Covid-19 just weeks after a patient approached him and claimed they had the virus.
Andrew Woolhouse, 55, died at the University Hospital of Wales (UHW) in Cardiff on January 23 having been admitted there nearly a month earlier after testing positive for coronavirus.
An inquest into his death at Pontypridd Coroners' Court on Monday heard that Mr Woolhouse, from Llanrumney, had worked as a porter at University Hospital Llandough for five years before becoming unwell with a hernia in early 2020 and taking a leave of absence.
Read more: See the latest coverage of inquests and court cases from around Wales
As part of a phased return to work he had begun working on the reception desk at the hospital in October last year and carried out “light duties”.
However on December 18, a day after he had gone on annual leave, Mr Woolhouse began to feel unwell. He took a PCR test on December 20 and a positive result was returned the following day. He had received the first dose of his Covid vaccine on December 13.
After returning a positive test Mr Woolhouse’s health continued to decline and was admitted to UHW on December 27 with breathing difficulties.
He was later transferred to intensive care and placed on a ventilator while part of his bowel was also removed due to ischemia.
However, on January 23, he was moved onto palliative treatment and was pronounced dead at 11.40pm. Tributes were paid to the hospital worker following his death, with the chief executive of the Cardiff and Vale health board Len Richards describing him as "hardworking and well-respected".
The inquest heard that Mr Woolhouse was born on May 1, 1965, and had two daughters with his wife Marianne.
In a statement submitted to the coroner Mrs Woolhouse said that her husband "could not believe he had tested positive" for the virus and that he had used PPE at work, including gloves, aprons, face masks and hand sanitiser.
However, she also said that he had mentioned an incident to her a few weeks before he tested positive, in which a patient from the mental health ward at the hospital had approached him and told him "I have Covid" before laughing at him.
Health and safety adviser Rachel Daniel said in a statement heard by the inquest that Mr Woolhouse was working during a period of lockdown when the hospital were not admitting visitors and that he had minimal patient contact.
Despite having a hernia and high blood pressure the 55-year-old was deemed "low risk" during a risk assessment in October. He also wore full PPE and, while there was no screen on his desk, he was seated two metres from any patients who approached, with Ms Daniel concluding that there was "limited evidence that he contracted Covid from work-related exposure".
Other statements submitted by Mr Woolhouse's colleagues said that he "was always smiling" and would be "greatly missed".
Coroner Rachel Knight extended her condolences to the deceased's family before recording a medical cause of death as 1a. Covid pneumonitis and 2. hypertension. She recorded a conclusion of death by natural causes.
"Mr Woolhouse was risk-assessed and preventative measures were put in place," she said. "There is insufficient evidence to determine the cause of the infection but my conclusion is covered by the medical cause of death."
To get the latest news from WalesOnline sent to your email inbox click here.
