Singapore's youngest Covid-19 fatality was declared virus-free a week before death

When Salha Mesbee was cleared of Covid-19, her family thought that the worst was over.

Little did they know that they would receive tragic news just one week later.

Salha, who was Case 703, was declared brain dead and taken off life support on April 30, a week after she had been declared free of the virus, her daughter, Siti Noraisah Ali, told BERITAmediacorp.

With the 17 other Covid-19 fatalities aged between 60 and 95, the 58-year-old, who did not have any pre-existing illnesses, is the youngest fatality in Singapore.

Salha and her husband, 61, had travelled to Turkey before testing positive for the virus on March 26.

Two of their sons were also confirmed to be infected with the virus on March 26 and April 1.

But as her husband and sons recuperated and were soon discharged, Salha's condition worsened.

"She was admitted to the intensive care unit because her lungs were weak, her blood pressure was low, and the infection started to spread to other organs such as the kidneys and liver," Siti said. "The doctor said she was one of the more critical patients."

The family had remained hopeful when the doctors at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital cleared Salha of the virus, thinking that her struggle with Covid-19 was finally over.

Alas, their hopes were dashed when a CT scan detected swelling in Salha's brain.

"The doctor confirmed she was brain dead and she was relying on the life support system. We had to make the decision to keep going or to let her go."

The silver lining was that the family was able to conduct the usual funeral rites for Salha and say their final goodbyes as she had been confirmed to be free of the virus.

"Everyone is affected by her passing. She was a very brave person, very concerned about others," Siti said, adding that her mother was an active member of her mosque and Residents' Committee.

For now, Siti and her brothers are focusing on supporting their father.

According to Siti, the couple had been close and "went everywhere" with each other.

Their trip to Turkey was meant to celebrate their wedding anniversary and was the first time they had gone on a "honeymoon" since they were married.

Turkey, which only reported its first Covid-19 case on March 11, now has a total of 127,659 confirmed cases as of May 4.

For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here.

kimberlylim@asiaone.com