Covid-19: Inquest will examine UK's first-known child death

Medics at King's College Hospital decided to wait until the morning to reposition Ismail's breathing tube, the senior coroner said

An inquest into the death of a 13-year-old Covid-19 patient from south London will examine whether mistakes were made in his treatment, a coroner has said.

Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab from Brixton was the first child in the UK known to have died with the virus in March 2020.

He died three days after testing positive for the respiratory virus.

His breathing tube was found to be in the wrong position but medics decided to wait for more staff to come on shift before adjusting it , the court heard.

The medics at King's College Hospital wanted to wait until the morning to reposition the tube that was intended to help Ismail breathe, a pre-inquest hearing was told.

He did not survive the night and senior coroner Andrew Harris said an inquest in March would investigate whether the endotracheal tube should have been repositioned earlier.

He said Ismail could have died because he was "especially vulnerable" or because his infection was "particularly virulent".

The inquest will examine whether a failure to adjust the incorrectly positioned tube earlier had contributed to his death.

It will also investigate whether any lessons have been learnt.

• Family unable to attend funeral of boy,13, after he died of Covid

"I do recognise that this is very tragic and not only stressful for the family but for those who will have known Ismail and will have been deeply saddened by his death," he said.

"Doctors and nurses were working at exceptionally difficult times and we will have to understand that as we hear the evidence."

Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab's funeral was not attended by his family because of government restrictions at the time

Ismail died from acute respiratory distress syndrome in the early hours of 30 March 2020.

His family were not able to be with him because they were self-isolating due to government restrictions in place at the time.

They were also unable to attend his funeral.

Strangers wearing protective clothing, gloves and face masks lowered his coffin into a grave in south-east London.

Several witnesses are expected to give evidence to the inquest that is provisionally listed for 1 March at London Inner South Coroner's Court.

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