Thirteen nuns in a Roman Catholic convent in Livonia, Michigan have died of COVID-19 Complications since the outbreak began, 22% of residents said a spokeswoman for the Felicia Sisters of North America. Seventeen nuns recovered, Suzanne Wilcox English said Tuesday.
The nuns, who were 69 to 99 years old, included teachers, an author and a secretary at the Vatican’s Secretary of State, according to the Global Sisters Report, a media outlet with the National Catholic Reporter publishing company. The Global Sisters Report said the 13 deaths “may be the worst loss of life for a community of religious women since the 1918 flu pandemic.”
“I first heard that two assistants had contracted the virus,” Sister Andrew told the Global Sisters Report. “We don’t know who they are, and we don’t want to know. Then she hit the sisters on the second floor, and it went like a wildfire.”
The outlet reported that at least 19 other nuns died of COVID-related complications in the US as of July 16.
Michigan reported 573 new cases of coronavirus and nine additional deaths on Tuesday. Michigan ranks seventh for the majority of COVID-related deaths among states, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
“Hand washing, wearing masks, social distancing, and regular disinfection will continue to be staples of our routines,” said Sister Mary Christopher Moore, provincial minister for Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, on July 8.
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