A baby delivered by an emergency caesarean operation in the UK to a nurse who died from Covid-19 is doing well, according to the hospital where the little girl was born.

The child has been named after her mother, Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, who continued to be the focus of tributes by friends and the general public, who have now donated more than £120,000 to her family.

The nurse, who worked on a general ward at Luton and Dunstable university hospital for five years, had the emergency procedure to save her baby daughter.

The 28-year-old tested positive for the virus on 5 April. She had the caesarean soon after going into hospital two days later but died on Sunday. Her husband, Ernest Boateng, is reported to to be in self-isolation. It is not known if the baby has contracted Covid-19.

The hospital said the nurse finished her last shift on 12 March, and had not been at work thereafter. It said it had followed official guidance and that she had not been treating coronavirus patients.

More than £120,000 was been raised for Agyapong’s family on a GoFundMe page, and the health secretary, Matt Hancock, described what had happened to her and other healthcare workers who have died from coronavirus as “incredibly heart-rending”.

“It’s something that I feel very strongly, and I think the whole country, uniting as we are in our support for the NHS and carers across the board,” he told BBC Breakfast, as the official number of NHS staff who had died after contracting Covid-19 rose to 27. “We’re all deeply touched and moved by deaths of nurses like this.”

He added that every death among healthcare workers was being investigated to find out “what we can do better” to protect those on the frontline.

Agyapong’s colleagues at Luton and Dunstable University hospital said she was “a fabulous nurse, and a great example of what we stand for”. The NHS trust’s chief executive, David Carter, said the survival of her baby was a “beacon of light at this very dark time”.

Authorities at the hospital have rejected claims, reported by Channel 4 News, that there had been a shortage of gowns and a rationing of masks, including while the nurse was working there. “We have not experienced significant shortages of PPE during the outbreak,” said a spokesperson.

On the GoFundMe page, donors included Kevin Bulfin, who wrote: “I donated because I wanted to show my appreciation for the ultimate sacrifice that Mary and her family have made on our behalf.”

Another person, named as Tom Munro, wrote: “My sister is also a nurse, and also gave birth to a baby boy yesterday. So sad to hear about Mary. All the best to the little girl and her family.”