A much-loved 'cheeky' young girl from Tameside collapsed and died the day after testing positive for Covid, an inquest heard. Fatima Shamriaz, nine, tested positive on a lateral flow device last September after developing a temperature.
However she then suddenly deteriorated and collapsed the following morning. The alarm was raised with paramedics rushing to the family home in Ashton-under-Lyne.
She was taken to hospital but extensive resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful. A post-mortem found she died of multi-organ failure caused by Broncho-pneumonia and Covid-19 pneumonitis.
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Fatima, who was looked after by her parents, mum Shakeela Walayat and dad, shopworker Sham Shamraiz, with the help of carers, had cerebral palsy and other 'complex needs' following a brain injury suffered at birth the inquest was told.
And a coroner ruled that, had health professionals followed guidance during mum Shakeela Walayat's labour at the Royal Oldham Hospital in 2012, Fatima would have been born by caesarian section and would have not developed Perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy - where a baby's brain is deprived of oxygen - which left her 'vulnerable' to infections such as Covid.
Paying tribute to her daughter at the hearing, Ms Walayat said: "She was a cheeky little girl. She was very clever and was loved by us all. She was a popular little girl, with our neighbours and things like that. She was the first grandchild in my family."
With support, she began attending school aged five the hearing was told. "She loved school" Ms Walayat said. "She used to come back a happy girl. It was her personal time. It was important for her independence to leave the house and have that time.
"No one can replace my Fatima. Having her taught me so much at a young age and made me appreciate life.
"Never underestimate a child with complex needs as they have a personality that we could never have. We were very lucky to have her. She's missed every day but I feel like she is still with us."
Fatima had been feeling unwell and had had a temperature since September 4, with a telephone appointment being held with her GP on September 6, the day she tested positive for Covid, the inquest heard.
She was responding to Calpol and was not vomiting and didn't have a cough the inquest heard with the Dr concluding 'no acute assessment was required.'
Giving evidence at a hearing at South Manchester Coroner's Court in Stockport, Ms Walayat said she "didn't see anything unusual" that night other than her being "hot."
However the next morning, September 7, her breathing seemed shallower so her parents contacted the nursing team at the Alder Hey hospital who, after viewing a video of her breathing advised them to ring 999 or 111 in order to have her assessed.
The family were about to take her to hospital themselves when she collapsed and they called an ambulance shortly after 9:30am. 'Prolonged' resuscitation attempts at the family home, en route to hospital and at Tameside General were unsuccessful and she was declared dead by doctors later that morning.
Ms Walayat said with hindsight she now believed that 'the signs were there' that her daughter was more seriously ill than she seemed. "I regret every second, I just wish I could I turn the clock back and do something to help her" she said.
However Senior Coroner Alison Mutch said: "It seems no one that was looking after Fatima had any significant concerns about her. We all have perfect hindsight. I can see that you are to an extent blaming yourself but it does seem as if you shouldn't."
The inquest heard during Ms Walayat's labour at the Royal Oldham hospital on July 30 2012 that Ms Walayat was given drugs to induce her labour despite readings from a Cardiotocography(CTG) machine – which monitors a baby's heart rate – indicating possible 'foetal distress.'
Fatima was born in a "very poor condition" and had to be ventilated and taken to neonatal intensive care the inquest was told. And it was quickly apparent she was "going to be severely impaired in both a physical and cognitive sense" senior Royal Oldham pediatric doctor Jonathan Moise said.
Elizabeth Wallace, representing the Northern Care Alliance which runs the Royal Oldham Hospital, said: "It is my understanding a civil claim has been settled previously."
Concluding the inquest Ms Mutch said: "What's very clear from the evidence is that in her relatively short life Fatima was a much-loved child and it's clear her parents were devoted to her and notwithstanding the very many challenges she faced in relation to her birth, her family revolved around her. They worked with professionals to make sure she lived life to the full."
"We have heard evidence that a child such as Fatima will be vulnerable to chest infections," Ms Mutch said. However, she added: "No one could have predicted how unwell she unwell she became and how quickly the situation deteriorated."
She said it was the "combination" of the "two acute illnesses" she was suffering with at the time which led to her death. However, she said she agreed with the pathologist Dr Heather Keir that the injury she suffered at birth was a "significantly contributing factor."
"It's difficult, with the benefit of hindsight, to understand why the health professionals involved in her birth didn't follow the national guidance and the trust's own policy in relation to CTG monitoring and actions taken, or rather not taken, if there are signs of foetal distress," Ms Mutch said.
"I am satisfied the guidance was there to be followed and was not followed. Had it been followed, I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities she would not have developed perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy."
Recording a narrative conclusion she said: "She died from Broncho-pneumonia and Covid-19 pneumonitis contributed to by complications from Perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy which not being followed by staff during her birth."
However she said there had been a "sea change in the approach to learning" in the 10 years since Fatima's birth and that the trust had "extensive steps" to address the issues which arose, including in realtion to CTG monitoring which she said is "far more robust than it was in 2012." As such she said no prevention of future deaths report was required.
Following the hearing, Ms Walayat said: “This has been an awful ordeal for the whole family, and nothing will bring back Fatima or help us with our loss.
“We are however satisfied with the verdict of the Coroner in this case, and the ruling that the catastrophic errors by the doctors when Fatima was born undoubtedly led to her being extremely vulnerable to Covid.
“We would like to thank the Coroner, as well as our solicitor Helen Barry from Slater and Gordon who worked tirelessly to support us in this tragic case.”
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