The shattered family of a woman who became the youngest person to die from coronavirus in Australia have revealed how quickly her condition deteriorated – and say they have no idea how she contracted the killer bug.
Rhonda Montgomery, 58, suffered from respiratory problems for most of her life, but it wasn’t until last Thursday that she found herself struggling to breathe for the first time.
The 58-year-old was rushed to Tamworth Base Hospital in New South Wales that day and died just hours later, with tests confirming she had coronavirus.
‘It happened quickly, that’s one consolation from all of this, at least she’s no longer in pain and didn’t know she had the coronavirus because respiratory problems were her everyday life,’ her 25-year-old daughter Jess told Daily Telegraph.
‘We don’t know how she got it, or for how long.’
Rhonda Montgomery had suffered from respiratory problems for most of her life but it was only last Thursday when she couldn’t breathe properly
Ms Montgomery (centre) was rushed to Tamworth Base Hospital in New South Wales and died on Friday after having contracted COVID-19
Mrs Montgomery had been self-isolating at home in the weeks before her death and her family were regularly cleaning her house in an attempt to keep her safe.
However, during one of those visits, it became clear that she was gravely ill.
‘She went into hospital for one day and was at home three weeks and became progressively worse,’ Jess said.
Mrs Montgomery’s death came as a ‘massive shock’ to the family and has left her husband Richard heartbroken who is ‘so sad’
‘She probably had the virus the whole time, we don’t know.’
Jess described her mother as a ‘strong woman’ who ‘stood no chance’ in the fight against coronavirus.
Mrs Montgomery’s death came as a massive shock to the family and it has left her husband Richard heartbroken.
Australia has recorded a total of 76 deaths from the deadly coronavirus
Australia has recorded a total of 6,660 positive cases of coronavirus, with 5,047 of those people recovered.
A 79-year-old woman became the 76th person to die from coronavirus in the country on Thursday.
The woman, who suffered from pre-existing medical issues, died at the Newmarch House aged care home in western Sydney.
This follows the death of a 92-year-old woman on Tuesday at the facility, following the earlier deaths of a 93-year-old man and 94-year-old man.
CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 6,660
New South Wales: 2,976
Victoria: 1,337
Queensland: 1,026
Western Australia: 546
South Australia: 438
Tasmania: 205
Australian Capital Territory: 104
Northern Territory: 28
TOTAL CASES: 6,660
RECOVERED: 5,047
DEAD: 76
A staff member who worked for six consecutive days with mild symptoms, primarily a sore throat, introduced the virus to the facility earlier this month.
More than 40 staff and residents have been in self-isolation following the outbreak of COVID-19.
Five new cases of COVID-19 were reported in NSW on Thursday for the second consecutive day, taking the state’s toll to 2976 with 21 people in intensive care.
Up to 8000 people will now be tested for COVID-19 each day, The Daily Telegraph reported.
‘From today, anyone in NSW who has symptoms should come forward and get tested,’ Ms Berejiklian told the paper.
‘This is important to reduce community transmission and deal with any local outbreaks.’
Among the five new cases in NSW on Thursday were an ambulance paramedic in southwest Sydney and a nurse at the Sydney Adventist Hospital.
Meanwhile, the Ruby Princess cruise ship has left Port Kembla where it had been moored for more than a fortnight following a COVID-19 outbreak among passengers and crew.
The ship, so far linked to 21 coronavirus deaths and up to 600 infections across Australia, was led out of the Wollongong port about 4.30pm on Thursday, bearing a banner with the words: ‘Thank you Illawarra’.
The Ruby Princess leaves Port Kembla in Wollongong with a banner reading ‘Thank you Illawarra’