Ekiti records first COVID-19 death

Ekiti on Wednesday recorded its first COVID-19 death, our correspondent reports.

The state’s Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Mojisola Yaya-Kolade, confirmed the development at a press conference in Ado Ekiti.

She said the victim, the third positive case in the state, died after all efforts to save her life were unsuccessful.

According to her, the 29-year-old woman died at the Intensive Care Unit of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti, where she had been receiving medical care after she was delivered of her baby some days ago.

“The woman showed signs of stability on Monday, but unfortunately, her condition deteriorated yesterday, Tuesday, and we lost her exactly 6.58 a.m. today, Wednesday,” she said.

The commissioner expressed regrets that the deceased had infected a 45-year-old medical doctor in the state in the process of her being delivered of her baby.

She said the medical doctor was identied as the fourth case in the state by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

When asked if the remains of the late COVID-19 patient would be released to her family, the commissioner said the state was still studying the situation and would comply with the World Health Organisation’s safety rules on burial of such victims.

“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 corpses because we don’t know much about the virus,” she said.

Yaya-Kolade said the hospital where the patient died had been sanitised by government since the woman was hospitalised.

She, however, advised members of the public not to stigmatise the hospital because of the incident.

The commissioner gave an assurance that the state would not be discouraged by the incident, but would continue with its surveillance and sensitisation on the pandemic.

She said a total of 78 persons who had contacts with the deceased and the medical doctor had all been traced and placed in isolation.