Abstract

COVID-19, a contagious disease, with more than a million infected cases and over a hundred thousand deaths worldwide, is spreading as a global pandemic. While some infected people may show no symptoms, a great number of patients require hospitalization and ventilator support for acute respiratory distress. Patients admitted to the hospital are in isolation; and to avoid transmission, they are not allowed to have any visitors. While some of the patients recover and are then discharged, some of them with end stage COVID-19 die, from acute respiratory distress syndrome. They die alone, far from their loved ones, without having the chance to say goodbye. This is an important issue for not only the patient, but is also important for family and friends. As death is an inevitable part of human life, it plays a central role in all societies and cultures. People’s common desire is to achieve a good death, when it’s time, but what constitutes a good death is subject to discussion. Different opinions on the subject have been expressed over time. Saying goodbye as a part of life completion, is a significant theme among them. Unfortunately, during COVID-19 outbreak, when everyone is forced to adapt physical distancing and stay-at-home orders, many people have no chance to say goodbye, which is a big deficiency. Video chat applications can contribute to lessen this burden by providing some sense of closure and offering a virtual farewell, but support from heath care staff is needed. However, with the increasing number of COVID-19 patients, it will be difficult for the health care team to spare individual time for this. Therefore turning this individual help and sacrifice into a practice, offered by the health institution itself, would be more useful and effective.