A Jerusalem hospital has said that doctors were unable to save a 30-week foetus after their mother died of Covid-19.

Osnat Ben Shitrit, 32, was said to be healthy until she contracted coronavirus.

Doctors at Hadassah Medical Centre had carried out an emergency C-section in an effort to save the baby, Times of Israel reported. The foetus had not contracted the disease.

The woman, a Jerusalem resident, was admitted to hospital last Tuesday and started having severe problems breathing.

She started deteriorating quickly on Saturday night, experiencing multiple organ failures.  

Hadassah said in a statement that medics made “very prolonged” resuscitation attempts but the mother died, “despite tremendous efforts to save her and save the fetus’ life in the preterm intensive care unit.”

The hospital said its staff were badly hit by the loss. “The whole Hadassah team shares in the heavy grief of the family,” the statement said.

Last month, Israel approved vaccines for pregnant women and started encouraging women to get the shots.

Earlier this month, Dr Raed Salim, the head of the Labour and Delivery ward at Haemek Medical Centre called on women to get vaccinated after it admitted three pregnant women in a serious condition due to Covid-19.

 “I recommend pregnant women and women planning to get pregnant to get vaccinated against coronavirus soon,” he told Israeli press.