Woman dies from Covid days after giving birth to daughter

Samantha Willis, 35, died from coronavirus after contracting an infection while pregnant

(Facebook/Josh Willis )

A mother-of-four who caught coronavirus while pregnant died in hospital just days after giving birth to her daughter.

Samantha Willis, 35, died at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry, Northern Ireland, sixteen days after she contracted Covid-19.

Her husband, Josh Willis, has since pleaded with others to get vaccinated, writing on Twitter that his wife is “35, unvaccinated and in a coffin”.

“It’s real, the numbers are real. Get your vaccine so you or your family don’t have to go through what I have had to,” he wrote. “As I write this I am laying beside her, she is 35, unvaccinated and in a coffin. Let that sink in.”

Ms Willis is survived by her daughters Shéa, Holly, Lilyanna and baby Eviegrace, whom she never had the opportunity to meet.

Mr Willis wrote on Facebook that his wife never got to hold her baby in her arms.

“I will never let anyone forget you and I will remember all the special times and experiences we shared together,” he wrote.

“[Samantha] was a wonderful, loving and caring person and she has been our superhero the last few weeks.”

Covid-19 rates in Northern Ireland are at their highest since January. Other than Mid Ulster, every area in the region is experiencing an uptick in cases according to analysis by PA news agency.

The case rate in Northern Ireland stands at 579.5 per 100,000 — the highest rate since 8 January — but a sharp rise in hospitalisations and deaths hasn’t followed this increase, likely owing to the vaccination rollout.

Everybody eligible for vaccination, including expectant parents, have been urged to accept their Covid-19 jabs by the NHS. Data released in late July showed that zero pregnant women admitted to hospital had had two doses of vaccine, while 98 per cent had not had any at all.

Multiple health bodies, including the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the Royal College of Midwives have affirmed that vaccination is recommended for pregnant women and urged them to come forward for their jabs.