Saudi toddler dies after swab stick breaks inside his nose during Covid-19 test

A toddler in Saudi Arabia had a tragic death after doing a Covid-19 test as the swab stick broke inside his nose, Al Arabiya reported on Tuesday, July 14.

The incident happened in Shaqra General Hospital when the parents took the 18-month-old Abdul Aziz Al Gufan to the hospital on Friday, after they noticed a high temperature. Al Gufan wasn't showing any other symptoms but the doctor said that it was important to conduct a Covid-19 test. While doing the test, the swab stick broke inside Al Gufan's nose.

The doctor decided to perform a surgery to remove the stick after administering anaesthesia. After the surgery, the medical team told the parents that the stick was removed successfully and the child was fine.

When Al Gufan woke up, his mother noticed that something wasn't right and asked the medical team to check the child, but they said that the doctor wasn't available as it was late at night.

In the morning, the child suddenly fainted and the mother informed the nurses in the hospital who found him not breathing. The medical team placed the boy in a ventilator and a scan examination showed that the airway to one of his lungs were blocked. The child's condition was getting worse and the parents wanted to take him to a speciality hospital in Riyadh.

However, after receiving approval, the family waited in the hospital for more than an hour for an ambulance until the child passed away. Al Gufan's uncle submitted a report to the authorities to investigate the death of the child and deal with the medical team.

At night, the uncle told Al Arabiya that the Saudi minister of health called him and confirmed that he is following the investigation personally.