First person to die from coronavirus in Indiana had to say goodbye to her partner via iPad

The first person to die from coronavirus in Indiana had to say goodbye to her partner via iPad because they were not allowed to be in the same room. 

Roberta Shelton, who was aged in her 60s and had underlying health conditions, passed away in Indianapolis Monday, having been admitted last week.  

Dr. Ram Yeleti, chief physician at the hospital network where she died, said: ‘What makes this really hard, is that this individual’s significant other was also infected, so the two of them could not be together when this patient passed.’

Roberta Shelton, the first person in Indiana to die from coronavirus, had to say goodbye to her boyfriend via iPad because they couldn’t be in the same room

Shelton died at this hospital in Indianapolis Monday after admitting herself last week while suffering from a high fever and chest pains

Shelton died at this hospital in Indianapolis Monday after admitting herself last week while suffering from a high fever and chest pains

Indiana has confirmed two deaths from coronavirus and 39 infections, though this is likely a drastic under-estimate. In the US, there are almost 9,500 infections total and 152 deaths

Indiana has confirmed two deaths from coronavirus and 39 infections, though this is likely a drastic under-estimate. In the US, there are almost 9,500 infections total and 152 deaths

Speaking to Fox59, she added: ‘We had to do iPad conversing so the individuals could see each other. So that this individual did not die alone, one of our nurses stayed in the room.’

Shelton had not traveled out of the state before contracting the virus, friends told Wish TV. It is not clear where she contracted it. 

Cousin Connie Estrada said she went to the hospital after getting a high fever, and then posted to Facebook saying she was ‘ready to go to heaven because she was tired of being in pain.’

Friends remembered her as a giving person who often organized fundraising events in her community. 

Since Shelton’s death, Indiana has reported a second coronavirus fatality in a person aged above 60 south of Indianapolis.

The state has confirmed 39 cases of coronavirus so far, though problems with testing mean this is likely an under-estimate.

Coronavirus has a mortality rate around 1 per cent, meaning 2 deaths would suggest at least 200 infections in the state.

Shelton’s family are not the only one suffering tragedy as a result of the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the US.

In New Jersey, three members of the same family have been killed and another four left in quarantine after unknowlingly spreading the disease at a family gathering. 

The Indiana Theatre is deserted as residents stay off the streets in Bloomington amid the coronavirus pandemic

The Indiana Theatre is deserted as residents stay off the streets in Bloomington amid the coronavirus pandemic

The area around the Bloomington Town hall is deserted after Americans were told to avoid social contact for 15 days amid the coronavirus pandemic

The area around the Bloomington Town hall is deserted after Americans were told to avoid social contact for 15 days amid the coronavirus pandemic

A woman waits in line to pay for a shopping basket full of food as shoppers fill a Kroger grocery store in Bloomington

A woman waits in line to pay for a shopping basket full of food as shoppers fill a Kroger grocery store in Bloomington

Grace Fusco, 73, died Wednesday night, just hours after her son, Carmine Fusco, passed away from COVID-19.

Carmine, a horse racing trainer, died on Wednesday morning, Roseann Paradiso Fodera, a cousin and family attorney, told NJ Advance Media.

His sister and Grace’s daughter, Rita Fusco-Jackson, 55, died five days ago. She had also tested positive for the virus.

Another 20 members of the family have been placed in quarantine.

Coronavirus  is well on its way to overwhelming US hospitals, but the capacity of health care systems varies widely from state-to-state and even city by city, and new data reveals which areas will be hit hardest.  

The research compiled by experts at the Harvard Global Health Institute compiled data that shows just how critical ‘flattening the curve’ of the pandemic in the US is to keeping hospitals functional. 

Coronavirus infections in the US have been following an exponential growth curve, with social distancing measures brought in to help slow the rate of infection

Coronavirus infections in the US have been following an exponential growth curve, with social distancing measures brought in to help slow the rate of infection

If just 20 percent of the population is infected within six months, hospital beds in nearly every part of the country will be full, and around 50 percent of states will have about twice as many patients as beds. 

But if the curve can be flattened, and the infection rate can be kept to 20 percent over the course of 18 months, states will have enough beds to treat everyone – although by a slim margin. 

So far in the US, more than 9,000 Americans are infected with coronavirus. That’s less than half a percent of all adults in the US. 

But rates have been rising rapidly as the virus spread undetected in US communities and as more tests become available to detect patients. 

If infection rates aren’t controlled – sooner than later – there could be double or triple the number of coronavirus patients US hospitals have beds to treat

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk