Panic at FMC Abeokuta After Pregnant Woman Dies of COVID-19 

Workers of the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun state, have expressed fear after a pregnant woman died of Covid-19 in the hospital last week. 

Allnews learnt that the deceased was rushed to the clinic and was admitted to Gynaecology Emergency department earlier last week. 

She died before the arrival of her result on Saturday evening. 

It was also gathered that out of the three samples sent for Covid-19 test, two, including that of the pregnant mother, came back positive. 

The other patient is a 97-year-old man who was admitted last Monday. Our sources said he was moved from one cubicle to the other since admission at Emergency Treatment Room (ETR). 

Reacting to this, the Head of Clinical Services (HCS) of the hospital, Fidelis Ojeblenu, confirmed the death of a pregnant woman in the facility as a result of contracting coronavirus.

Mr Ojeblenu acknowledged that the two patients, a man and the expectant mother, had tested positive to COVID-19 at the hospital.

In a statement sent to this paper, he stated that the man had since been transferred to one of the isolation centres in Ikene, Ogun State. 

He however added that both patients were managed at the accident and emergency unit of the hospital and that they were isolated from other patients throughout their stay in the unit.

Although Mr Ojeblenu claimed that the health workers who attended to them had observed standard protocols, staff members have not been officially addressed, our sources disclosed. 

In a broadcast forwarded to a WhatsApp group of nurses on Saturday, it was indicated that concerned doctors and nurses of the facility are being tracked and asked to self-isolate. 

The nurse, who informed other colleagues, urged them to pray for the medical professionals and a consultant, Dr Ashimi, who attended to the patients.

As of the time of filing this report, data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) showed that 56 persons have contracted the disease in Ogun state.

Nigeria, so far, has recorded 2388 cases of the pandemic since the index case was discovered in February.