Galway nurse returns frontline after surviving Covid in ICU

A Galway nurse has returned to the frontline at University Hospital Galway, after recovering from a life-threatening experience with Covid-19, which she contracted at work.

Just two months ago, Leona Paula Leoncio, a staff nurse at UHG, was intubated and ventilated battling for life in the Intensive Care Unit of the city hospital, where she had become infected with the deadly virus.

On Tuesday, the 36-year-old mother of two was back on duty at UHG, to the delight and relief of her colleagues.

Her story touched the hearts of so many across the city and county – including one 83 year old Ballinasloe woman who, through the offices of the Connacht Tribune, sent on a sum of money ‘to buy some toys for her kids’. And this was passed on to Leona on her return to work this week.

She was one of more than 400 healthcare workers in the West (Galway, Roscommon and Mayo), who were infected with Covid-19 during the five months of the pandemic in Ireland to mid-July, according to new data from the Health Surveillance and Protection Centre (HSPC).

Ms Leoncio’s return to her ward coincided with the publication of a survey by Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), which revealed that 65% of nurses who have recovered from Covid-19 are still experiencing post-viral fatigue.

The survey also found that four in five of all 7,000 nurses and midwives surveyed, including those who did not contract Covid-19, said that working in the health service during the pandemic impacted their mental health.

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