Heartbreaking Tribute to Midwife Who Died After COVID-19 Battle
NHS staff at The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, paid a touching tribute to a midwife who tragically passed away on Friday 3rd April. Colleagues placed a lit candle on a chair in the corridor and held a moment’s silence, heads bowed, mourning their lost teammate.
How Did She Catch the Virus?
The midwife’s name has not been released, and it’s unclear if she was on duty before falling ill or if she had any underlying health issues. Reports suggest she may have contracted COVID-19 after contact with an infected patient, but the hospital has not confirmed this.
Unlike A&E patients, pregnant women visiting maternity wards aren’t treated by dedicated COVID-19 staff. Instead, midwives care for them wearing just paper masks, gloves, and disposable gowns — far from the full protective gear recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for treating COVID-19 patients.
WHO’s Protective Gear Guidelines Ignored?
- WHO advises healthcare workers giving direct care to COVID-19 patients to wear medical masks, gowns, gloves, and eye protection.
- For aerosol-generating procedures, respirators like N95 or FFP2, gowns, gloves, eye protection, and aprons are mandatory.
Despite this, most maternity units across the UK don’t routinely test pregnant women unless they show symptoms, despite the fact some COVID-19 carriers can be symptom-free for up to 14 days.
Rising Toll on NHS Staff
While elective surgeries are cancelled in many hospitals due to the pandemic, maternity units continue with elective procedures. If officially confirmed that this midwife caught COVID-19 at work, she would be the eighth known NHS healthcare professional in the UK to die from the virus.
A sombre reminder of the risks frontline staff face every day.
