A 29-year-old health worker has died in Ekiti State from COVID-19.
She was the third index case of coronavirus in the state, but the first casualty.
The State’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mojisola Yaya-Kolade, announced her death at a press conference in Ado Ekiti.
She explained that the lady died on Wednesday around 6:58a.m at the Intensive Care Unit of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido EkitI.
The Commissioner further explained that until her death, the lady was a Community Health worker with Lagos State Government, but sneaked into Ekiti last week before she fell into prolonged labour leading to the discovery that she had contracted the infectious disease.
Yaya-Kolade regretted the deceased infected a 45 -year old medical doctor, who had been identified as the fourth index case by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
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She stated: “The woman showed signs of stability on Monday but unfortunately her condition deteriorated yesterday, and we lost her exactly 6.58 am today (Wednesday),” she stressed.
On whether her body would be released to the family, Yaya-Kolade said the state would take standard precautions and comply with the World Health Organisation’s safety rules on the burial.
“We are going to liaise with the family on her burial. We are going to consider safety despite that there was an assumption that the virus is not active in the corpse, because we don’t know much about the virus.
“But whatever we are going to do won’t be against the interest of the family. But let me assure you that the state will also be on the side of safety”, she stated.
The Commissioner said FETHI where the lady died, had been sanitised and cleaned up since the woman was hospitalised, urging the patients and members of the public not to stigmatise the hospital or afraid of patronising it.
She added that all the 78 persons who had contact with the deceased and the medical doctor, had been traced and placed on isolation.
