A pregnant nurse who tested positive for coronavirus in the UK has died after undergoing an emergency caesarean to save her child.
The Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in the UK said Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, 28, died on Sunday and "was a fantastic nurse and a great example of what we stand for".
An internal staff email sent to her colleagues at Luton and Dunstable Hospital said the decision to perform the caesarean came after her condition deteriorated.
Doctors initially thought Mrs Agyapong was showing signs of improving but her symptoms got worse, Channel 4 News reported.
The NHS Trust's chief executive, David Carter, told Channel 4 that her little girl's survival was a "beacon of light at this very dark time".
Mrs Agyapong's family and friends have set up a fundraising page to help her husband and daughter, which has so far collected more than $100,000.
"Mary was a blessing to everyone she came across and her love, care and sincerity will be irreplaceable," the page read.
The UK is set to extend its coronavirus lockdown amid renewed warnings that it is still too soon to start easing the restrictions.
Ministers are expected to agree to a further three weeks of social distancing controls, amid signs the epidemic in the UK is beginning to peak.
The government has said the three-week review of the lockdown regulations will go ahead as planned in line with the coronavirus legislation.
However, ministers and officials have repeatedly made clear that there is no prospect of any imminent relaxation.
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