An inquest heard how a young girl who had a minor cough tragically died after being admitted to hospital.

12-year-old Fabiana Zoppelli contracted a minor cough on June 1 and her mum rushed her to hospital after she started to develop a rash and started vomiting two days later.

Liverpool Echo reports that as her breathing deteriorated rapidly, medical professionals believed that she may have been suffering from a chest infection.

However, their worst fears were realised when the school pupil tested positive for Covid-19 on June 5.

A two-day inquest into her death began at Rochdale Coroner's Court on October 11.

It heard how Fabiana took a PCR test and was placed on an oxygen machine on arrival at hospital on June 3.

As Fabiana's condition deteriorated, she was then put on a ventilator
As Fabiana's condition deteriorated, she was then put on a ventilator

As her condition deteriorated, she was then put on a ventilator.

However, it became clear the equipment was not working and a decision was made to transfer Fabiana to Manchester Children’s Hospital following her positive result.

She was ventilated again on her arrival at the Paediatric Intensive Care unit on June 6.

Doctors said her temperature was reading 40C and her oxygen became increasingly “harder to maintain”.

A nurse also noted how she looked “pale and tired” through the glass window to her bed.

By 6am, Fabiana was breathing at an increased rate - up to 90 times per minute.

Medics agreed the youngster should be referred to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool to be placed on a xtracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine.

The treatment would help with cardiac and respiratory support.

But while she was leaving hospital on a mobile ventilator on June 7, she went into cardiac arrest.

Despite desperate attempts to save her, Fabiana tragically died.

One doctor described her case as the worst he had seen in a child throughout the entire pandemic.

Fabiana's mother told the court her daughter would “always offer a helping hand” to those in need, particularly younger children
Fabiana's mother told the court her daughter would “always offer a helping hand” to those in need, particularly younger children

Speaking at the inquest, her mother, Mrs Ehiggie, said Fabiana, of Morton Street, Oldham, enjoyed music, food and helping others.

She told the court her daughter would “always offer a helping hand” to those in need, particularly younger children.

Fabiana moved to the UK with her family from Italy in March 2015.

The court heard how she had an extremely rare condition called floating-harbor syndrome, meaning she had a short stature, grew at a slower rate and had delayed speech development.

When her school closed at the start of the pandemic, Fabiana stayed inside, regularly watching TikTok videos on her phone.

Mrs Ehiggie told the court no one else in her family had fallen ill with coronavirus or previously displayed any symptoms.

The inquest heard how there was a delay in the Royal Oldham Hospital receiving Fabiana’s PCR test result.

The positive result was not sent until 9.30pm on June 5, two days after she had a swab taken.

Fabiana’s mother was not made aware of this result until 12 hours later.

However, the court heard how the delay in receiving the result would not have impacted Fabiana’s treatment.

Speaking during the inquest, Mrs Ehiggie asked why her daughter could not have been transferred to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital sooner.

Doctors said this was due to Fabiana being in an extremely unstable condition at the time.

Giving evidence, paediatric consultant Prakash Kamath, of Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “It was a very new illness and the belief at the time was that children did not suffer complications from Covid.

“At the time, Covid was very less understood, not just for adults, even more for children.

“We have never seen children suffering from Covid complications like Fabiana did.

“We believed she would turn a corner and get better.

“I have never seen any child transferred for intensive care in the last 18 months.

“This is a very unusual case in a child.

“We can only assume she contracted Covid somewhere in the community.”

Summing up the inquest, assistant coroner Nicholas Flanagan ruled that Fabiana died as a result of natural causes.

This was due to paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) caused by coronavirus.

Mr Flagan ruled that floating-harbor syndrome may have contributed to her death but it did not lead to it.

He said: “Fabiana was very, very unwell and was exceptionally unlucky to have the lung difficulties she developed at the same time of the paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome.

“She was generally a healthy child before she developed a cough, despite no known Covid contact.

“Every effort was made to make sure Fabiana survived.”

Teachers and staff at New Bridge School in Hollinwood and Corpus Christi RC Primary School, where Fabiana attended, both previously released tributes following her passing.

The teachers at Corpus Christi described Fabiana as "amazing and popular" and said she made huge progress during her four years at the school.

They said one particular highlight of her time at the school was a trip to Paris.

A statement on the Corpus Christi website said: "She was an amazing girl. Fabiana enriched both our school and the whole community with her great enthusiasm and love for life. She was a friend to everyone and tried her best in everything she did.

"Fabiana tried her hand at everything. She trained with the school football team, read with confidence in assembly, visited Paris with her friends, created amazing artwork and had a smile that lit up every room she entered.

"Please remember Fabiana and her family at this difficult time. Let us be thankful that we spent time with her and pray that her family feel supported at this time.

"The staff in school are devastated and have proved their high levels of care and compassion through their actions and words.

"Flowers have already been sent to Fabiana’s family on behalf of the whole community and we have contacted her parents to offer our support and condolences throughout the week."

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