Fatherless only child, 11, told his mum had died from coronavirus… only to find out she’s STILL ALIVE two days later

AN 11-year-old boy was told his mother and only parent had died from coronavirus, only to discover two days later that she was actually still alive.

The fatherless lad mourned the loss of his mum and even planned her funeral but was stunned when the hospital informed his aunt that staff had made a huge mistake.

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Andrea, from Unterhaching south of Munich, told radio station Bayern 3 that her sister – the mother of the young boy – had caught coronavirus at the retirement home where she works.

She explained that her sister was admitted to an intensive care unit in early April and put on a ventilator as doctors battled to save her life.

Visitors were prohibited but the family was assured the woman was "fine" as she continued to receive treatment.

'TRAGIC CONFUSION'

Andrea recalled that she received a call while at work from the hospital saying her sister had died and asking when she could come and pick up her belongings.

"I was completely shocked. I left work immediately. I went to my family and told them the news first," Andrea recounted.

"I had to tell my 11-year-old nephew that his mother had died.

"Of course, he burst into tears. How do you gently tell an 11-year-old something like that? There is nothing worse for a child than something like that."

I had to tell my 11-year-old nephew that his mother had died … How do you gently tell an 11-year-old something like that?

Two days later, Andrea went back to the hospital to collect her sister's belongings, including a photo of the woman's son, her wallet and the keys to her flat.

However, after leaving the hospital she received a call when she was outside a supermarket.

Andrea said: "It was the hospital again and the conversation started with the person saying 'Please don't get upset now … You should sit down. There was a mix-up. Your sister didn't die. She is fine'."

She described feeling "incredibly relieved" but was left struggling to understand how staff could make such a mistake.

Andrea said she wasn't satisfied with the hospital's apology or explanation and the anxiety has played havoc on the family's emotions.

Despite the shocking turn of events, the family is hoping the woman will make a full recovery as her condition is said to be improving every day.

A hospital spokesperson told Bayern3: "We deeply regret this tragic confusion. The treating chief physician is in personal contact with the relatives. It is a human error in the administrative process."

LOCKDOWN EASING

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany is now 161,985 and 6,470 deaths have been recorded, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Germany has slowly been easing its lockdown after faring much better than its European neighbours as a result of an aggressive policy of mass testing.

But the European country faces the prospect of returning to a stricter lockdown after a rise in coronavirus infections and deaths threaten a second wave of the deadly virus.

Jens Spahn, the German health minister, declared that the virus was "under control" but Merkel has warned that the relative success is still "fragile".

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After Merkel's announcement about easing lockdown measures last week, the country's coronavirus cases spiked three days in a row.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases confirmed on April 17 that coronavirus cases increased by 3,380 to 133,830 – Germany's biggest rise in six days – according to its data.

Despite the rise in cases, Health Minister Jens Spahn says hospitals have "at no time been overwhelmed so far".

Spahn said the coronavirus outbreak has become "manageable again" as the number of patients beating the disease has been higher than the number of new infections every day this week.

Elsewhere in Europe, governments have also begun to ease on lockdown restrictions.

Last week Austria and Italy allowed thousands of shops to reopen while in Spain non-essential workers returned to factories and building sites.