COVID-19: Saudi nurse with 25 years of service dies of coronavirus

Abu Dhabi: Saudi Arabia’s Madinah Health Department has reported the death of a third health worker from the front lines of the fight against COVID-19.

Nurse Mohammed Ayed Al Otaibi joins fellow nurses Nujoom Al Khaybari and Filipino Marilyn Sabdani in dying from the virus, local media reported.

Al Otaibi contracted the virus while caring for patients in Uhud Hospital.

The late nurse, 49, worked for a quarter of a century caring for patients. He kept working day and night with the team fighting COVID-19 before he died.

His colleagues in the hospital tried to save his life but he eventually succumbed to the disease.

His brother Awad told Okaz that Mohammed was on the front lines of the fight against coronvirus, a mission he did not hesitate for a moment to accept.

Recently, he felt symptoms of the virus and tested negative for COVID-19. Three days later, symptoms and fatigue increased, so he was tested for a second time and was positive. He isolated himself for four days, and his health conditions deteriorated. He was transferred to Uhud Hospital under intensive care, but despite the doctors’ attempts to save him, he died.

Awad added that his late brother lost his 18-year-old son, Ayed, in a traffic accident. He left an 18-year-old daughter and a baby less than five months old.

He said his brother did not suffer from any chronic disease, and he was preparing to complete his doctoral studies after obtaining a master’s degree in sociology.