The Coronavirus took the life of Ghada abdul-Lateef’s first unborn baby, before taking hers too.
Aft a struggle of 115 days and intensive treatment at two different hospitals in Khanaqin an Kalar, Ghada died on 5 December.
Symptoms of a COVID-19 infection first starts to show in Ghada’s health in August. She goes to a hospital in Khanaqin (in Diyala province) and gets herself tested, but the result would be negative.
“We then too her to my mother’s house, but her health was getting worse by the day, that’s why we took her to a hospital again where she stayed for eight days this time,” Nihad Abbas, Ghada’s husband, said.
When we reached Qala Hospital, the conditions of her kidneys and lungs were not good
KirkukNow contacted officials at the General Hospital in Khanaqin, and despite promising to give statements, they later didn’t reply to calls.
When Ghada was taken to hospital, she had been seven-months pregnant with her first baby.
“We were immediately sent from Khanaqin to Qala Hospital in Kalar. They quickly tested her and said that she was infected with the Coronavirus. The conditions of her kidneys and lungs were not good, which caused the death of the baby in her womb,” Nihad said.
Nihad is still in shock from first losing their unborn baby, followed by the death of Ghada.
Nihad and Ghada were married on 27 December 2019; she died before their first anniversary.
Their home is in Kalar, but they were visiting Ghada’s parents when she became ill.
Nihad says that their unborn baby was 7 months and 10 days old when they took its dead body from Ghada’s womb.
An internal disease specialist doctor at the Qala Hospital in Kalar, Salar Muhammad, told KirkukNow: “Ghada spent 115 days in hospital. I was watching her closely. When they brought her, we quickly tested her for Coronavirus, and it turned out that she had a severe Corona infection.”
According to the examinations at the Qala Hospital, Ghada’s liver, kidneys and lungs were affected by the virus. Her blood pressure had gone down and the oxygen rate in her blood had been between 30 to 40%, which normally should be about 95%.
The baby in her womb had already died at the hospital in Khanaqin
“The baby in her womb had already died at the hospital in Khanaqin, before she was brought here. Her pregnancy had caused the numerous deteriorations in her body,” Salar Muhammad added.
Nihad is not complaining about the treatment his wife received at the hospital. He says that they tested her on a daily basis.
He says that after three weeks of treatment, her kidneys started functioning again, but that “after a short time her health deteriorated again and this time didn’t survive it.”
Ghada’s remains were sent back to Khanaqin for burial.
“We had a tranquil life; we were looking forward to the birth of our first child, but the Coronavirus didn’t allow it and took away our dreams.”
Ghada was a 12th grade student and Nihad is a lecturer.
According to official numbers, in Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, COVID-19 infections have reached 564,200. The recovery rate is 87% so far. 12,432 people have died.
