Ekiti confirms first death from COVID-19

A 29-year-old woman has died from coronavirus-related complications in Ekiti State, becoming the state's first COVID-19 fatality.

State governor, Kayode Fayemi, confirmed the death of the woman who was pregnant during her diagnosis with the deadly virus.

Fayemi's statement on Twitter reveals that the deceased gave birth before her death as a result of complication related to the virus.

"Today, we lost the third index case in Ekiti due to complications associated with CoviD-19 virus. She left behind a newborn baby. We commiserate with the family of the deceased and pray for her sweet repose," governor Fayemi tweeted.

As at 6:00 pm on April 22, there is one (1) active case of COVID-19 in Ekiti State, with two discharges and one death.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mojisola Yaya-Kolade, during a press conference in Ado Ekiti, said that the woman died around on Wednesday around 6.58am.

Yaya-Kolade also noted that the deceased infected a 45 -year old medical doctor, who had now been identified as the fourth index case by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, MyNigeria.com reported yesterday.

"The woman showed signs of stability on Monday, but unfortunately, her condition deteriorated yesterday and we lost her exactly 6.58am today (Wednesday).

"We are going to liaise with the family on her burial. We are going to consider safety despite that there was an assumption that the virus is not active in the corpse, because we don’t know much about the virus.

"But whatever we are going to do won’t be against the interest of the family. But let me assure you that the state will also be on the side of safety," she said.