On Thursday, the 8th of October, a 20-year-old lost her life to the deadly coronavirus. Nuha Abu Siam had just given birth to her second child a month ago, after being diagnosed with the disease.
Belonging to Rahat, Abu Siam was a healthy individual with no background or past illnesses. She had been admitted to the intensive care unit of the Soroka. After her C-section surgery, her son was also tested for the virus. Fortunately, he tested negative.
Back when she had been 37 weeks into her pregnancy, doctors had connected Abu Siam to the monitor. Once identified that the soon-to-be-mother was experiencing fetal distress, she was rushed to the operating room. Just a few days after giving birth, her condition deteriorated drastically. She was resuscitated for the time being. However, later on, the doctors connected her to a heart-lung machine, also known as Acmo.
The chairwoman of the gynecology and obstetrics division at the Soroka and the current director at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Prof. Reli Hershkovich, also gave a statement regarding Abu Siam’s hospitalization. She also stated that ever since the pandemic spread, a large number of mothers all over the country have tested positive for the virus. But, Hershkovich pointed out that the majority of them do not develop any serious illness or symptoms.
She added that Abu Siam’s was a rare case in which a perfectly healthy young woman, with no history of illness, was in a serious condition soon after contracting the virus.
A senior physician in the Coronavirus Intensive Care Unit, Dr. Uri Galanta, reported that there has been a massive increase in the number of young patients infected with the virus. He pointed out that the ‘first wave’ did not bring about as many difficulties as there are now. According to him, there is no telling who may lose their life to the disease, since those with no previous illnesses are also experiencing a severe deterioration of health.
He also went on to add that people should adhere to their civic responsibilities. Dr. Galanta urged people to not gather in crowds, wear face masks at all times, and follow the guidelines laid down by the relevant authorities. He stated that this current wave could have some drastic consequences if the strict restrictions of the coronavirus are not adhered to by the people of the country.