Elena Gocmen Rueda
An 19-year-old woman who was unvaccinated and had no underlying medical conditions has died from Covid-19 in Mallorca, becoming the youngest person to die from the virus in the Balearic Islands.
Health authorities on the island confirmed that the woman, who has not been publicly identified, died on Saturday (August 21) at Son Espases hospital in Palma, a week after being admitted into hospital.
She was initially seen in the emergency department of Son Llatzer hospital but transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Son Espases as her condition worsened.
The island’s Servei de Salut said medical staff had been surprised at the ‘aggressiveness with which Covid-19 attacked the young woman’ according to a report in Diario de Mallorca
Doctors treated the woman using ECMO therapy, a specialist life support machine which pumps oxygen into the patient’s blood, allowing the lungs to rest.
The treatment has proved a lifeline for many coronavirus patients whose condition has not improved using a ventilator, but unfortunately doctors were unable to save this patient.
It was widely reported that she had not yet been vaccinated against coronavirus, although the Balearic Islands are leading the way in the latest inoculation drive.
The latest data from the Balearic’s health authority published on August 24 shows 73% of young people aged 16-19 have received their first dose of the drug and 61% are now fully vaccinated.
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