A 16-year-old girl identified simply as Aishat has tested positive for COVID-19 after being gang-raped by four men in the Ijesha, Surulere area of Lagos.
The Herald learnt that the Oyo State indigene was brought to Lagos by a relation, who abandoned her at a motor park in Ijesha.
She reportedly roamed the park in search of shelter when the rape incident occurred and led to a pregnancy.
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Aishat, it was gathered, continued to roam the park until the pregnancy reached an advanced stage.
She was then rescued and taken to the Mother and Child Care Centre, Gbaja, an arm of the Randle General Hospital, Surulere and gave birth through caesarian section.
It was during this period that she was tested for COVID-19 and her test result returned positive, it was learnt.
This reportedly halted plans to take her to a government home as she was transferred to the Gbagada Isolation Centre instead.
Her situation was said to have caused confusion at the Mother and Child Care Centre where at least 30 health workers were exposed to Aishat during delivery.
A doctor at the Randle hospital told The Punch, “The girl was originally directed to the hospital through the Ministry of Women Affairs, where her case was first reported.
“The ministry then informed the permanent secretary of the Health Service Commission. The permanent secretary later spoke to the Randle General Hospital MD, who gave instructions to the Head of Department, Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
“An emergency caesarean section was done on the girl without any personal protective equipment. That has been the status quo in the hospital since the beginning of the COVID-19; nobody has PPE.
“After delivery , she spent 10 days at the Maternal and Child Care Centre on admission , where various doctors and nurses attended to her.”