Woman Had Both Legs Amputated After 'Wrongly' Assuming Infection Was COVID-19

A 47-year-old woman from the United Kingdom was placed in a coma and got both her legs amputated after she “wrongly” assumed a blood infection for COVID-19.

Cher Little, a resident of Connah’s Quay in Wales, said she developed a headache and fever early this year. However, she dismissed the symptoms as signs of a COVID-19 infection.

The 47-year-old was later rushed to a hospital by her family after she developed rashes and blisters on her skin and her lips turned purple. The doctors diagnosed her with Meningococcal Septicaemia and gave her a 20% chance of surviving the illness.

Little was put into a medically induced coma for 23 days. However, her limbs had to be amputated from the knee down after they turned black.

“It was touch and go for three weeks after being admitted to hospital as I was in a coma and my organs had shut down,” Little said during an interview with The Sun.

“I wish I would have recognized the signs that there was something seriously wrong and phoned an ambulance sooner rather than later but we were in the middle of a pandemic so I wrongly assumed it was coronavirus and didn’t do a test until several days later.”

Meningococcal Septicaemia is a potentially fatal blood infection caused by a type of bacteria that causes meningitis. The bacteria enters the bloodstream of its host where it multiplies and damages the walls of the blood vessels.

While the illness is rare, it’s also extremely fatal. People with Meningococcal Septicaemia can die within hours. However, medical intervention at the early stages of the disease can help prevent debilitating complications.

Symptoms of Meningococcal Septicaemia may include fever, chills, fatigue, cold hands and feet, severe aches or pain in the muscles, rapid breathing, and a dark purple rash in the later stages. The rash may be associated with skin deterioration or gangrene, according to Very Well Health.

The disease is most common among infants, teenagers and young adults. However, people aged 65 and older have the highest fatality risks. People with a compromised immune system or those who recently traveled to sub-Saharan Africa may also be at higher risk of contracting the rare disease.