The baby of a pregnant NHS nurse has been saved after her mother died from coronavirus at a Bedfordshire hospital.
Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, 28, was a nurse at the Luton and Dunstable hospital and was admitted for coronavirus treatment on April 7 while heavily pregnant.
According to Channel 4 News, staff decided to perform an emergency caesarean to deliver her baby, a little girl. But Ms Agyapong sadly died on Sunday, April 12.
Her colleagues at the hospital described her as a "highly valued and loved member of the team". Her little girl is understood to be alive and being cared for. She is being tested for coronavirus, as is Ms Agyapong's husband.
Chief Executive of the NHS Trust, David Carter, said Ms Agyapong was a "wonderful young woman who made a huge contribution" and said the survival of her baby daughter was a “beacon of light at this very dark time”.
In a statement to Channel 4 News, he said: “It is with great sadness that I can confirm the death of one of our nurses, Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, who passed away on Sunday. Mary worked here for five years and was a highly valued and loved member of our team, a fantastic nurse and a great example of what we stand for in this trust.
“She tested positive for Covid-19 after being tested on 5 April and was admitted to the hospital on 7 April. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Mary’s family and friends at this sad time. We ask that the family’s privacy is respected at this time.”
Ms Agyeiwaa Agyapong is not known to have had any underlying health conditions. She was working into her third trimester of pregnancy. She did not finish her job until at least March 12, but it is possible she continued work after this date.
The nurse was working in a part of the hospital which has now been turned into a coronavirus ward, however it was reported that no coronavirus patients were being treated there at the time Ms Agyeiwaa Agyapong was still at work.
