LASUTH places 4 nurses on isolation over death of COVID-19 patient

By OLUWAFUNKE ISHOLA

The Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) says it has placed four of its nurses on isolation, after their contact with a patient who died of COVID-19.

Prof. Tokunboh Fabamwo, LASUTH Chief Medical Director, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos.

NAN recalls that the hospital had earlier on Saturday confirmed the death of a patient who tested positive to COVID-19, saying the patient died at its Institute of Maternal and Child Health (Ayinke House), LASUTH.

Fabamwo said: “All the doctors took precautions when attending to the patient.

“When the woman was about to die, and was gasping for breath, the nurses rushed to her and tried to do pulmonary resuscitation on her.

“They moved more closely to her. Though, they were protected, we felt that because of that closeness, we should isolate them so that they won’t go home and be a risk to their families.”

He said the patient’s corpse had been evacuated with usual protocol, adding that her husband’s blood sample had been taken for COVID-19 test.

The chief medical director added that they were waiting for the deceased husband’s test result.

He disclosed that the hospital would enhance its Triage protocol far from the Emergency Centre, by erecting a tent to screen for temperatures of visitors and patients during visit to the health facility.

Fabamwo said that anyone with high temperatures would be isolated and handed over to officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The deceased patient, was said to be suffering from puerperal sepsis and was transferred from the Alimosho General Hospital to the Emergency Unit of LASUTH.

However, the patient died in the course of her treatment. (NAN)