Nurse with lung covid wins lawsuit, healthcare institution must compensate financial damage

A judge has held a healthcare organization liable for the financial damage suffered by an employee after a corona infection. The woman, a 28-year-old nurse, contracted the corona virus while working in a home two years ago and was left with lung covid. She took her employer to court because she had worked insufficiently protected. The Amsterdam court ruled in favor of the woman. The verdict was published in early Januarybut was in the news on Wednesday thanks to the Zorgvisie magazine.

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According to the trade journal, this is the first case in which a court has held a healthcare employer liable for the consequences of a corona infection. The woman became infected during her work in a South Holland nursing home. She still suffers from lung covid after two years, cannot work fully and therefore lacks income. Her employer has failed in the duty of care and must compensate financial damage, the court has ruled. The victim is preparing the claim for damages, the amount is not yet known.

The nurse states that she did not receive permission from a doctor to wear a face mask during her work, despite the fact that the nursing home residents showed corona symptoms such as a cold and, according to her, sufficient protective equipment was available. Because she worked with clients with dementia, among other things, it was practically impossible to keep a distance of one and a half meters. According to the court, the healthcare institution has put the staff at unnecessary risk with the policy and is liable for this.

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