Santa Rosa, California Police Detective Marylou Armer, 43, died late last month from coronavirus complications after being denied testing twice.
Despite complaints of a fever, body aches and shortness of breath, Armer’s sister Mari Lau says that Kaiser Permanente’s Vallejo Medical Center denied her sister twice. She claimed a doctor reportedly told Armer that due to her age and lack of underlying medical conditions, she was not considered a candidate for testing.
Armer hadn’t received testing until she was rushed to the emergency room and intubated, then placed into a medically induced coma after it came back positive. By that point, Lau says, “It was too late already.” On March 31, Armer succumbed to the virus, days after finally receiving a confirmed diagnosis.
Backing the protocol of the hospital, Dr. David Witt, Kaiser’s national infectious disease expert says, “[Doctors had adhered to] public health authority testing guidelines, which have been based on a very limited availability of tests.” He adds, “We offer heartfelt sympathies to Detective Armer’s family and loved ones at this profoundly difficult time.”
