CHARLOTTE — A gate agent at Charlotte Douglas International Airport spent nearly one month in the ICU fighting COVID-19.
[Passenger stunned at lack of social distancing on full flight to Charlotte]
The gate agent for Piedmont Airlines was inside Charlotte’s airport a month ago helping hundreds of customers.
In a matter of days, she was hospitalized with COVID-19, and now, she’s being released.
"My family and I are elated. It's such a relief, because all you hear about are the COVID19 deaths,” said a family member, who asked to remain anonymous.
Her family said she’ll have some challenges ahead.
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“COVID-19 affects people in different ways, but it affects your body, not just your lungs,” her family said. “She also had to have a couple of blood transfusions. She was having to have dialysis because it started somehow impacting her kidneys.”
The family believes she contracted the virus while working. It’s a job she may not return to for months but if she does, her family is hoping that recent changes, such as gloves and masks to protect employees will remain in place.
"Everybody needs to know that this is serious. Everyone needs to know that this is real," the family member said.
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The union that represents ramp and customer service agents at the airport has been pushing American Airlines for thermometers to test employees before shifts. A month ago, AA officials said there was a low supply of thermometers and that type of testing would be difficult logistically.
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