Inquest date set to determine whether Covid death of Brixton teen could have been avoided

A Brixton teenager is set to become the focus of an inquest into the UK’s first known Coronavirus death of a child. 

The hearing, scheduled for March 1 next year, will determine whether doctors misplaced a ventilation tube while 13-year-old Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab was in hospital. 

The youngster died of acute respiratory distress syndrome in the early hours of March 30, 2020 – three days after testing positive for Covid-19. 

He was admitted to King’s College Hospital after suffering fever, coughing, shortness of breath, vomiting and diarrhoea. 

His family were not able to be with him because they were self-isolating and his siblings had milder symptoms of high temperature and loss of taste. 

They were also unable to attend his funeral, and four people wearing protective clothing, gloves and face masks lowered his coffin into his grave.

The family issued a statement after the tragedy, saying: “We are heartbroken as a family due to the devastation caused by the Coronavirus as it becomes too real for us as a family and community.

“Ismail was a loving son, brother, nephew to our family and a friend to many people who knew him. His smile was heart-warming and he was always gentle and kind.”

Hours before Ismail’s death, an endotracheal tube (ET) used to help patients breathe was found to be in the wrong position and a decision was made to move it in the morning when there would be more staff. 

The teenager did not survive the night. 

Senior coroner Andrew Harris said the inquest would examine if the ET should have been repositioned earlier. 

He said Ismail may have died because he was “especially vulnerable” or because his infection was “particularly virulent”. 

The inquest will hear evidence from doctors and nurses in charge of treating Ismail. 

It will also investigate whether a failure to detect the misplaced tube contributed to his death. 

The inquest will take place at London Inner South Coroner’s Court and will hear from five live witnesses, as well as others who will provide written statements. 

Pictured top: The funeral in the Eternal Gardens Muslim Burial Ground, Chislehurst, of Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab (Picture: PA)