Pregnant nurse dies but baby is saved

Tributes paid to ‘highly valued and loved’ hospital worker who had tested positive for coronavirus

Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, a 28-year-old nurse who had coronavirus, died after giving birth by caesarean section at Luton and Dunstable hospital. The baby’s survival was described as a ‘beacon of light’

DOCTORS managed to save the baby of a pregnant nurse who died after testing positive for coronavirus.

Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, 28, died on Sunday after undergoing an emergency caesarean section operation to deliver her daughter at Luton and Dunstable hospital.

The girl has been named after her mother, according to an online fundraising page set up by friends. Ms Agyapong’s husband is self-isolating after being tested for Covid-19.

Colleagues of Ms Agyapong said she was “a fabulous nurse, and a great example of what we stand for”.

According to reports, David Carter, the chief executive of Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, sent an internal email to staff saying Ms Agyapong was a “wonderful young woman who made a huge contribution” and the survival of her baby daughter was a “beacon of light at this very dark time”.

“It is with great sadness that I can confirm the death of one of our nurses, Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, who passed away on Sunday 12th April,” Mr Carter said in an official statement.

“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 5th of April and was admitted to the hospital on the 7th April. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Mary’s family and friends at this sad time.”

Last night, a Gofundme page set up for the family of Ms Agyapong had raised £5,500. Friends wrote that the 28-year-old nurse was “a blessing to everyone she came across”, adding: “Her love, care and sincerity will be irreplaceable.

A friend wrote on the site: “I am raising these funds for her immediate family; her husband, AJ and her baby girl little Mary, who was born at the time of her demise.

“It is humane for us to take care of them in every way we can during this heavy and trying time.

“You will forever be in our hearts Mary. Your memories are still with us and we will cherish them forever until we meet again.

“We will forever miss you.” Another colleague wrote: “She deserves her family to be looked after, she devoted her life to the NHS.

“It’s time to look after our own and return the selflessness Mary carried and give something so small, but so big to her family in this time of need.”

According to reports, the nurse worked at the hospital until at least March 12, when she was in her third trimester and cared for patients on a ward where Covid-19 victims are now being treated.

However, the hospital trust said it did not have any coronavirus patients before Ms Agyapong left to take maternity leave. It is therefore believed that she contracted the virus in the community, rather than at the hospital.

The pandemic has claimed numerous lives of front-line NHS workers.

Yesterday, the children of Dr Peter Tun, a consultant at the Royal Berkshire hospital, paid tribute to their “superhero” father who died after contracting coronavirus.

Dr Tun, 62, was an associate specialist in neurorehabilitation.

“Our family is immensely proud of our superhero dad,” his sons said in a statement. “He used to say, ‘Treat all your patients like they are your own family’, and this speaks to the type of character that he had.”