A three-week-old Houston baby in critical condition recovers from COVID-19 after spending nine days at The University of Texas Health Science Center.
The four-week premature born baby boy was experiencing nasal congestion and rapid breathing when taken to the emergency room.
The baby was suspected of having contracted COVID-19
The infant was immediately transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit, where doctors discovered that the baby had low blood pressure, a high pulse, and hypothermia. When the doctors saw the X-ray of the lungs of the baby, they immediately suspected the contraction of COVID-19.
Dr. Alvaro Coronado Munoz, assistant professor of pediatric critical care medicine at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, said that they thought the child was sicker than a normal child. The doctor added that the baby tested positive for a virus that causes the common cold as well.
The infant who was then suffering from severe respiratory failure was transferred to a negative-pressure room in the pediatric intensive care unit. The baby was intubated and placed on a mechanical ventilator for five days.
Physicians also treated the infant with a five-day course of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin. This treatment is to prevent respiratory infection.
The doctors tested the baby by conducting a nasal swab. The X-rays on the baby's lungs also showed the partial collapse of the right upper lobe.
The tests confirmed that the baby had COVID-19.
The Baby's Recovery
After five days in PICU and an additional four days at the hospital, the baby boy recovered enough to be sent home without supplemental oxygen.
Dr. Coronado reminded the parents that it is crucial to understand that they should not delay seeking medical care for their children, especially if there is any presence of fever or trouble breathing. The doctor added that they are still very early in the research and data available on COVID-19, and as medical providers, they need to be aware that children can get critically ill from the said virus.
On the other hand, medical professionals believed that the baby contracted the virus after being in contact with a 49-year-old woman, who manifested symptoms but was never tested for the coronavirus, in the same household. The baby's household is home to eight persons who were never tested from the coronavirus.
The infant's 21-year-old mother tested positive for Group B Strep when she was pregnant but not COVID-19. Group B Strep is a common bacterium often carried in the intestines or lower genital tract. According to the CDC or The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it usually is harmless and could come and go; however, it can cause severe infection in newborns.
As more data is released about the COVID-19, the original belief that pediatric patients are spared from the worst of the disease has been proven wrong.
Dr. Coronado finally said that while the case was limited to a single patient, it shows that severe COVID-19 cases in children are possible, although it can also be successfully managed through standard PICU protocols.
