Walsall Manor Hospital nurse dies aged 36 after battling coronavirus
A nurse and mother-of-three from Walsall who was battling coronavirus has died aged 36.
Areema Nasreen was on a ventilator in intensive care at Walsall Manor Hospital – where she had worked for 17 years – and was in a critical condition after contracting Covid-19.
But it was confirmed in the early hours of this morning that she had died after battling the virus.
She is believed to be the youngest health worker to die in the UK after contracting the virus.
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In a moving tribute to her on Facebook, her friend Rubi Aktar said: "My beautiful best friend Areema Nasreen has just passed away. My heart is broken. She fought and fought but Allah decided to take her.
"She was the most loveliest, genuine person you could ever meet, she went above and beyond for everyone she met.
"I’m so grateful that I had the honour to call her my best friend, she saw me at my best and my worst and accepted my every flaw. I am so broken that words can’t explain.
"I can’t believe I will not see your smile again. You made me the nurse that I am today, with your support, motivation and inspiration I am the nurse that I am today and I hope I can do you proud Areema. I love you so much and I will never forget you. You had so much to live for, I am sorry you didn’t get to see your kids grow up and I’m sorry that you didn’t get to complete your career."
Areema's sister Kazeema, 22, said Areema was normally "fit and healthy" and was on annual leave when she first started showing symptoms at the end of March.
Kazeema, who works as a healthcare assistant at Walsall Manor, urged everyone to "take coronavirus seriously" after her sister became ill.
“I want everyone to know how dangerous this is," Kazeema said last week.
"My sister is only 36 and is normally fit and healthy. People are not taking this seriously enough. She is young – it is not just the elderly who are at risk.”
As of Thursday, nine people had been confirmed to have died at Walsall Manor after testing positive for Covid-19.
They are among 288 coronavirus patients to have died across the Black Country, Staffordshire and Birmingham since the first case death in Wolverhampton on March 8.
