Coroner urges full Covid inquiry after death of pregnant nurse, 28
A COrONer called yesterday for a full public inquiry into the pandemic as soon as possible following the death of a heavily pregnant nurse from coronavirus.
Mary Agyapong died at the hospital where she worked days after initially being discharged. She was readmitted and her baby was born by caesarean section. But the 28-year-old died five days later. tests showed she had severe Covid-19 pneumonia.
her husband ernest Boateng believes she caught the virus at Luton and Dunstable hospital, where she felt ‘pressurised’ to keep working as the disease began to grip the country last year.
recording a narrative verdict, Bedfordshire senior coroner emma whitting concluded it was not possible to say where Mrs Agyapong contracted Covid.
But she told the inquest at Ampthill: ‘As a society, it is important we learn from all the lives that have been lost as a result of this terrible pandemic and consider the wider policy implications that may arise from each and every one of these.
‘Since this is a process which goes far beyond the scope of a coroner’s inquest and the Prime Minister has indicated his intention to hold a full public inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic, I urge him to proceed with this as soon as is practical.’ Medics initially failed to diagnose Ghana-born Mrs Agyapong with Covid19 on April 5 last year and discharged her, even though she had collapsed at home and was suffering acute breathing difficulties. She was readmitted two days later, when she was 35 weeks pregnant, and the baby, also Mary, was delivered. Mrs Agyapong died on April 12
Mr Boateng, 30, said after the inquest: ‘In those early days after Mary’s death I was only able to carry on because of the need to care for our children. Mary was strong, capable, vibrant, full of life and the most precious person in my life. It is still difficult to believe that she lost her life to the Covid-19 virus.’
the mental health support worker had told the inquest that his wife had been ‘very concerned about the situation involving Covid-19’.
She would undress at the front door and shower as soon as she came home from work every day to protect him and their young son, AJ. She also began sleeping in the spare room.
he said: ‘I wanted her to stay at home but, due to the high demand at the hospital, she had continued to go to work.’ he confirmed, however, that she had not been at work since March 12, when she was signed off with a bad back.
Dr william Manning, who took the initial decision to discharge Mrs Agyapong on April 5, told the hearing he suspected Covid but sent her home as she did not need oxygen at the time.
Delivering her verdict, Mrs whitting said: ‘She contracted Covid but it remains unclear where or when her exposure to the virus had occurred.’
Later, Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: ‘Grieving families and health and care staff still battling the virus deserve answers.’
Last week Boris Johnson committed to holding a public inquiry into the pandemic but rejected Labour’s demands for it to begin as early as June.