By: Spokesman Newsroom
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Friday 16th April 2021) — Nurse Josephine Arceo, a Filipino nurse who served at the maternity unit of the Joseph N. France General Hospital for four years, has been remembered by colleagues and patients as someone who was “always willing to help” and “an effusively warm and highly skilled midwife.” Her sudden passing prompted widespread social media speculation that she had died from a side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine — a claim firmly denied by the Ministry of Health.
In a press release dated 13th April 2021, the Ministry stated: “Nurse Arceo’s untimely passing is poignantly regrettable and contrary to the falsehood being circulated, is entirely unrelated to the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. The misinformation being circulated on social media relative to her demise, is therefore extremely unfortunate and sadly is completely devoid of the requisite empathy for someone who has given so much in service of our country.”
The Ministry described Arceo as “a staunch advocate for childbearing women and mothers” who “guided and cared for women and families through pregnancy, labour and after birth.” It stated: “The Ministry of Health is indebted to Nurse Arceo for the significant role she played as a midwife and the sterling and invaluable service she provided to the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.” The Ministry urged the public to “respect the Arceo family and provide the necessary privacy and prayers during this extremely sad and difficult period of grief and bereavement.”