Mom with COVID and Her Newborn Died Just 2 Days Apart Due to Inappropriate Care

Sumera Haq Inquest COVID-19 Inappropriate Care Whipps Cross Hospital Ayra Butt Kasim Butt

By Joel Brussels , Parent Herald Jul 30, 09:37 am

Photo: (Photo : Diana Bagnoli/Getty Images)

A pregnant mother of three and her baby died just a couple of days apart after she caught the coronavirus and was transferred to an unsuitable ward to treat her illness, an inquest heard.

Sumera Haq was eight months pregnant with her third kid when she contracted COVID-19 and started suffering severe stomach pain and worsening shortness of breath, according to the Derby Telegraph. The 37-year-old was taken to Whipps Cross Hospital in Leytonstone in east London, England, on August 7 and was initially treated in a maternity ward.

The primary school teacher was transferred to a medical ward two days later after her respiratory function worsened, but her condition deteriorated further. She then suffered cardiac arrest three days later.

Tragedy for family as mom and baby die just two days apart

Ayra Butt was delivered by cesarean section on August 12, 2021, but she showed no signs of life, and despite medics trying to resuscitate her, the infant was pronounced dead just 15 minutes after being born. Doctors gave Haq emergency treatment, but her condition caused by COVID pneumonitis continued to deteriorate. She died on August 14, 2021.

An inquest at East London Coroner's Court found that Haq was inappropriately transferred to a medical ward and later died following a lack of clinical leadership, according to Newsweek. The inquest that concluded on July 14 also heard that there was a lack of multi-disciplinary planning and a lack of close monitoring as well as a lack of appropriate escalation due to her deterioration before suffering the cardiac arrest.

Kasim Butt, Haq's husband, described the previous year as a living nightmare after suffering the double heartbreak of losing his beloved wife and young daughter. The 41-year-old delivery driver said it is almost impossible to find words to describe their family's hurt and pain.

Haq's husband says the past year has been a living nightmare

He said the last year had been a nightmare he would not wish on anyone. He added that Sumera was a wonderful wife and the best mom any child could ever want. Butt said she went out of her way to help others, and her death at an age when she had her best years ahead of her, has been particularly difficult for him to come to terms with.

Butt said those few days and trying to come to terms with the death of Ayra, while Sumera was also slipping away from them, is something he is not sure he will ever get over.

Medical observations showed Sumera was suffering an acute kidney injury. On August 11, Haq's level of hemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen in the blood throughout the body, was considered to be concerningly low.

The inquest was told that her condition deteriorated in the early hours of the following morning. She was administered blood thinners at 7 a.m. on August 12, and not long after, the emergency buzzer was pressed, and she needed help from health care staff, according to the Daily Record.