At Least 5 Employee Coronavirus Deaths At BK Hospital: Report

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — A tortured voice on a video showing patients' bodies being forklifted into a refrigerated trucks outside Brooklyn Hospital Center provided an early warning about the new coronavirus' toll.

"This is for real,"repeated John Lee on March 29 — when the city's coronavirus deaths had just reached 1,000, according to city data.

Now, the deaths have reached nearly 20,000 and hospitals are seeing many of their vital, non-medical employees succumb to the virus, according to a New York Times report.

At least five Brooklyn Hospital Center employees have died in recent weeks, the Times reported. They include Edward Becote, who wheeled patients on stretchers and wheelchairs, and Rafael Cargill, who handled medical records, according to the Times.

Brooklyn Hospital Center, a Fort Greene hospital, has received significant recent coronavirus coverage from the New York Times. The paper ran inside looks into the hospital's emergency room, maternity ward and ICU — and all three stories are prominently linked on the hospital's homepage.

The latest Times story concentrated on Elmhurst Hospital, which bore the coronavirus wave's brunt early. Three of its non-medical employees who passed out protective masks died, the Times reported.

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