Witness Testimony

Melanie Alexander testified regarding the hospitalization and death of her husband in April 2022 following prior cancer remission and chronic lung damage associated with earlier illness. She stated that he was admitted due to declining oxygen levels related to prednisone reduction and not for active COVID symptoms. After initially declining testing, he later tested positive for a prior variant and was transferred to a COVID ward, where a symptomatic patient was placed in his shared room despite his immunocompromised condition.
She described a rapid deterioration in his condition following this transfer, including high fever and escalating oxygen requirements, culminating in ICU admission and death seven days later. She testified that hospital staff had acknowledged her concerns about room placement but did not relocate him for approximately 24 hours. She further stated that later analysis indicated he had tested positive for a prior variant rather than the circulating Omicron strain.
Alexander also testified that she was not permitted to visit him in the ICU because she was not considered fully vaccinated under hospital policy. She described repeated requests for compassionate access that were denied on the grounds that he was not officially classified as palliative until shortly before he chose comfort measures. She expressed concern about hospital visitor restrictions, patient placement protocols, and the treatment of unvaccinated individuals during the COVID-19 period.