30-Year-Old Brooklyn Teacher Dies of Coronavirus After Her Symptoms Were Dismissed As A Panic Attack
Family and good friends of Rana Zoe Mungin, are mourning the loss of the beloved 30-year-old teacher who died Monday of COVID-19.
RELATED: FDNY Firefighter’s Five-Month-Old Daughter Dies From Coronavirus
As PEOPLE Magazine reports, Rana, who was a social studies teacher at Ascend Academy in Brooklyn, struggled to get treatment after contracting the virus mid March. Although she had two preexisting conditions: asthma and hypertension which put her at high risk of developing a severe case of the virus, it was still a struggle for her to get the right help. Her sister Mia, a registered nurse, told PIX11 that Rana had a fever and shortness of breath, but was turned away from emergency rooms twice, and one paramedic believed she was just having a “panic attack.” “He insinuated she was having a panic attack. She kept saying ‘I can’t breathe,’ ” Mia told the news outlet.
On March 20, five days after her first attempt to get treated or tested for COVID, Rana was finally admitted to Brookdale Hospital. From there, doctors immediately put her on a ventilator as she continued to struggle to breathe. Mia tried to get Rana included in the trial of remdesivir, one of several drugs being tested as a possible COVID-19 treatment, but they then learned she wasn’t eligible.
On April 18, Rana Zoe woke up and was able to open her eyes, and doctors tried to help her breathe without the ventilator. Just days later, April 27, Rana Zoe sadly died at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan.
“It is with heavy heart that I have to inform you all that my sister Rana Zoe … has passed away today at 12:25pm due to COVID-19 complication,” Mia posted on Twitter. “She fought a long fight but her body was too weak.”
As PEOPLE reports, Rana Zoe is just one of 28 New York City teachers who have died from COVID-19 since March, the new site notes citing PIX11.
Press Play Below For A Related Story:
RELATED: Texas 5th-Grader Who Made Masks For Hospital Workers Dies In ATV Accident