Ekiti State has announced the 29-year-old health worker, who was the third index case of coronavirus in the state, has died of the pandemic.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mojisola Yaya-Kolade, who made this disclosure in Ado Ekiti at a press conference, said the woman died on Wednesday around 6:58 am at the Intensive Care Unit of Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido EkitI.
The woman, who until his death was a Community Health worker with Lagos State Government, 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).
“The woman showed signs of stability on Monday but unortunately her condition deteriorated yesterday and we lost her exactly 6.58am today (Wednesday),” she stressed.
On whether her body will be released to the family, Yaya-Kolade said the state will take standard precaution 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 assumption that the virus is not active in 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.
She said FETHI where the patient 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.
The Commissioner assured the state will proceed with its surveillance and engaging the people on sensitization, to ward off Covid 19 in Ekiti.
She added that all the 78 persons who had contacts with the deceased and the medical doctor, had been traced and placed on isolation.