Nursing home resident is 7th person to die of coronavirus in Arkansas – Arkansas Online

Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Monday afternoon that a seventh person had died from coronavirus in Arkansas and there are 473 cases in the state.

The seventh known victim died Monday morning at CHI St. Vincent Infirmary in Little Rock, according to the Pulaski County coroner.

Alice Jett, 83, is the first confirmed death among the 37 residents at the Briarwood Nursing and Rehabilitation facility in Little Rock who have been infected with covid-19.

Pulaski County Coroner Gerone Hobbs said Monday that Jett was transferred Sunday from the nursing home to St. Vincent.

Jetts daughter, Penny Boyer, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazettelast week that Jett suffered from Alzheimers disease and Parkinsons disease with dementia. She had lived at Briarwood Nursing and Rehabilitation for approximately five years.

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Jett retired after 30 years working for the Little Rock Police Department, first as a meter maid and later as a 9-1-1 supervisor, according to her children.

My mother was a great person, her son, 61-year-old George Jett of Sherwood, said in an interview Monday.

The family was grateful for the quality of care Alice Jett received from medical personnel and staff at Briarwood, with her son describing her treatment as wonderful.

They have been so good down there, treated her so good, George Jett said. And its very rare when a doctor calls you, she cries when your mothers that ill.

After Jett tested positive for the coronavirus the weekend of March 20, her health deteriorated over the following days. Days after the test result returned positive, she was running a fever and would not wake up. By Friday, she had been placed on a ventilator because she was experiencing difficulty breathing.

The last time Boyer saw her mother in person was late February, before the nursing home, like others in the state, closed its doors to all visitors except essential medical personnel.

Jett, who was divorced since 1969, is survived by her three children and 12 grandchildren and great-grandchildren, according to George Jett.

She was a sweet woman, you know, George Jett said. Just a lot of sickness over the last few years. And with the weakness from the Parkinsons and everything she had, this virus just finished her off.

As of this weekend, 37 residents at Briarwood, including Jett, and 11 staff members, had tested positive for the coronavirus. Five residents of three other Arkansas nursing facilities have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Earlier this month, Arkansas Department of Health Secretary Dr. Nate Smith said that a Briarwood resident was transferred back to the facility from an area hospital, where the individual was tested for coronavirus while being treated for another health issue.

The transfer back to Briarwood occurred before the residents test result came back positive, Smith said.

Check back for updates and read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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Nursing home resident is 7th person to die of coronavirus in Arkansas - Arkansas Online