A Co-op worker who served customers with no protective equipment is fighting for her life after catching coronavirus.
Clare Hill worked at the store in Keynsham, Somerset, until she fell ill on March 24 and was taken to the Royal United Hospital in Bath.
It was there that she was diagnosed with Covid-19 and she has now been in an induced coma in intensive care for five days.
Her husband, Steven, has since criticised her supermarket employer for not providing their staff with sufficient personal protection equipment (PPE) such as gloves or masks.
Clare Hill worked at a Co-op store in Keynsham, Somerset, until she fell ill on March 24 and was taken to the Royal United Hospital in Bath (stock image)
Speaking to ITV News, he said: ‘In 72 hours she went from a happy, middle-aged woman to someone fighting for her life.
‘She was just doing her job like everyone else. These people should have had protection two or three weeks ago.
Mr Hill added: ‘She came home from work a week ago with a headache. She went to bed and she stayed in bed Wednesday because she was still feeling a bit rough.
‘I phoned 111 but she didn’t show any of the other symptoms at that point so they said to just keep an eye on her.
‘Thursday night she developed a cough. I phoned 111 again Friday morning and we ended up taking her into hospital that afternoon.’
‘We have got the biggest pandemic crisis for centuries and people are expected to go to work without gloves and masks.
‘That’s not just the way Clare works, that’s throughout the country.’
She was diagnosed with Covid-19 at the Royal United Hospital in Bath (pictured) and has now been in an induced coma in intensive care for five days
Southern Co-operative Society, which manages the store, said it has been following advice from Public Health England (PHE) and the Association of Convenience Stores.
A spokeswoman for the chain said: ‘This is a challenging time for us all and we’re deeply saddened that one of our colleagues at our Keynsham store has been hospitalised with COVID-19.
‘We have offered our support to her family and wish her a full and speedy recovery.
‘We do understand this is an incredibly concerning period for all and our stores are providing a critical role in keeping our communities fed during the pandemic so it is vital that they remain open.
‘We’re following advice from Public Health England (PHE) and the Association of Convenience Stores in terms of colleagues and deep cleaning.
‘Public Health England stated: “There is no need for your stores to close should one of the staff members working there test positive for COVID-19.
‘”There is also no need for any asymptomatic staff who have been in contact with a confirmed case to stop coming in to work.”
‘Having said that, we would like to emphasise that if colleagues exhibit even the mildest of symptoms of COVID-19, they are required to self-isolate immediately in line with Government advice.
‘As part of our initial response to this outbreak, we also implemented additional tighter cleaning measures being undertaken on a daily basis.
‘We take the health of our colleagues and customers extremely seriously and we will continue to follow Government advice and to take the necessary steps to ensure everyone’s ongoing protection and safety whilst working in or visiting our stores.
‘We have faced significant delays beyond our control in obtaining additional gloves and hand sanitiser, as national supplies we suspect are being redeployed to NHS frontline staff in the first instance.’
It comes as the latest figures show 29,474 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK with a death toll now reaching 2,352
The Co-op and other supermarkets are unlikely to be issuing face masks to its workers as current government advice states that they serve little use outside of a clinical setting.
But not all academics agree.
Dr Nick Longrich, senior lecturer in Evolutionary Biology, said: ‘There is strong scientific evidence to suggest that medical masks are effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19.
‘A systematic review of research on the SARS coronavirus found that face masks were highly effective in preventing people from catching the virus, and a study of a group of medical personnel at a university hospital in Wuhan found that when used along with procedures like disinfection and hand-washing, none of the doctors and nurses wearing N-95 masks contracted the COVID-19 virus.
‘Countries where mask-using is common, like China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, have also been able to control their outbreaks more effectively than western countries.
‘So the evidence seems to suggest that face masks work.
‘Given the current situation with supplies of PPE, we need to think very carefully about the best way to use what we have, but the scientific evidence suggests more widespread adoption of facemasks could slow the spread of the disease.’
Mr Hill is now in self-isolation and is unable to visit his wife in hospital, see his children or other family members.
He is urging everybody to follow advice to stay at home unless absolutely essential.
‘People aren’t aware of what this can do to you in such a short space of time.
‘When I see what happened to my wife in literally hours. No-one should be going out. We’re deeply saddened.’
It comes as the latest figures show 29,474 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK with a death toll now reaching 2,352.