Celia Marcos was a Charge Nurse in the Telemetry Department at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital for 16 years. She passed away of COVID-19 in April 2020, triggering an outpouring of grief and outrage, starting with some early breaking news:
- KTLA 5—61-year-old Hollywood Nurse dies two days after testing positive for COVID-19
- Asian Journal—Equipped with only a surgical mask on the front lines, Filipina nurse dies at Hollywood area hospital
- May 5, 2020 Kaiser Health News/The Guardian: “Lost on the Frontline”—She loved to give gifts, and never forgot her hometown: Celia Lardizibal Marcos
OUR VIGIL
We held a vigil for Celia on May 6 in front of the hospital, and the city mourned with us, as evidenced by the media coverage of our vigil—Click here for coverage from CBS 2/KCAL 9, NBC 4, KTLA 5, ABC 7, Good Day LA, EstrellaTV, Los Angeles Daily News, Asian Journal, Balitang America/The Filipino Channel, The Daily Mail (UK).
THE L.A. TIMES
News of her death triggered an investigative journalist at the Los Angeles Times to dig deeper into the senseless tragedy, which triggered even more outpourings of emotional coverage:
- On May 10, the investigative piece appeared on the front page—A nurse without an N95 mask raced in to treat a ‘code blue’ patient. She died 14 days later
- Then two days later, readers sent letters to the editor, several of which were printed—An N95 mask may have saved nurse Celia Marcos. Is Trump listening?
- On May 14, the paper’s Editorial Board spoke about Celia’s death and the need for more protection for whistleblowers—Protect Health Whistleblowers So They Can Protect Us
- Finally, a Emergency Room doctor wrote an Op-Ed, where he ended with: “Call Fox News, tweet the president until he blocks you, stand up in your home office and make your voice heard. When they ask for a name, tell them you are Celia Marcos.” Read it here—On the front line and taking a stand
This was important coverage, ensuring that the public was aware of the lack of PPE for healthcare workers. Click here for a printable poster for your Union bulletin board in your workplace (designed to print on 11×17 paper).
More recently, the paper remembered Celia in its “Pandemic’s Toll” coverage on September 14, 2020.
GLOBAL COVERAGE
After the Los Angeles Times story broke, it led to continued coverage and outrage over the lack of PPE, including global attention:
- Ilta Sanomat (Finland)—Celia rushed to help the coronary patient even though she lacked protective equipment – the nurse’s heart stopped 14 days later
- Telemundo—“No quiero morir”. Una enfermera fallece tras tratar a un paciente con COVID-19 sin protección adecuada
- Yahoo News Australia—The ultimate sacrifice’: Nurse dies after rushing to save coronavirus patient’s life
- The Daily Mail (UK)—Hero nurse, 61, dies of coronavirus 14 days after treating a ‘code blue’ patient with the disease without wearing a N95 mask because of shortages
- The Sun (UK)—HERO LOST Nurse who rushed into room to save coronavirus patient WITHOUT her mask dies just days later
- Toronto Sun—L.A. nurse succumbs to COVID-19 after saving patient’s life without PPE
- The Washington Post’s “Daily 202”—A nurse raced to treat a “code blue” patient without an N95 mask. Now she’s dead.
- May 11, 2020. People Magazine—Family says California nurse who died from COVID-19 had only surgical mask instead of N95 mask
- May 12, 2020. Fox News—California Nurse treating ‘code blue’ coronavirus patient dies after lack of proper PPE: report
- May 12, 2020. WUSA 9 (Washington, DC)—Remembering Celia Marcos: Nurse dies from virus after trying to save COVID-19 patient
- May 12, 2020. New York Post—Nurse dies two weeks after rushing without N95 mask to save Coronavirus patient
- May 21, 2020. Channel News Asia—Nurses from the Philippines battle COVID-19 frontlines in the US
- May 18, 2020. Ms. Magazine—Rest in power: Nurse Celia Marcos Dies After Racing to Treat COVID Patient
ONGOING RELATED COVERAGE
- September 28, 2020. Becker’s Hospital Review—5 nurses saving lives off the job.
- October 2, 2020. Los Angeles Times—Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center fined after nurse dies of COVID-19 Additional details about the Cal/OSHA fines here.
- October 4, 2020. The Mercury News—California’s Filipino American nurses are dying from COVID-19 at alarming rates.
- October 15, 2020. Los Angeles Times—Husband-and-wife nurses contract COVID-19. She died in the hospital where she worked.