Halifax mom Stephanie Norman is calling for more information and support for parents whose young kids have gotten COVID-19 after taking her own baby to the IWK Health Centre for treatment on Monday, April 18.
Norman, also known as Raina the Halifax Mermaid, said that her eight-month-old son, River, began exhibiting symptoms over the weekend. She initially thought her infant's fever was due to teething, but a rapid test confirmed he was infected with COVID-19. Norman decided to take her child to the hospital once his symptoms - including febrile seizure, congestion, and a cough - worsened.
Norman said that once they got there, the hospital told them that many young children had been coming through its doors and that her family was "not alone" in having babies with COVID-19.
Hospital says more babies are sick with COVID
Norman told CBC that they said to her that while the babies are not staying in the hospital overnight, they are treating a lot of babies for the same issues and that babies just seem to be having a hard time on the first day of COVID.
According to Norman, at least ten other families in the designated COVID-19 area were waiting for care in the hospital when they got there. Norman noted that all the children appeared to be under two years old, and they looked very sick.
Norman paid tribute to the nurses working that day in the hospital but said she could tell they were short-staffed. She said it took six hours for her child to be seen by a doctor, given the high number of cases at the time.
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Hospitals short-staffed as COVID ravages doctors and nurses as well
The IWK reported on Wednesday that 110 of its staff were off sick with COVID-19, and another 50 were in isolation. The IWK also said that there are fewer than five patients in the hospital with COVID-19.
Dr. Kirstin Weerdenburg, a pediatric emergency doctor at the IWK, said that the hospital sees more patients than usual with COVID. Weerdenburg thinks this is just a reflection of how much more COVID they are seeing in the community, saying, "There are more adults that have it, but as a result, you know, the children are also getting it."
To make matters worse for the hospital, it also sees cases of influenza and other viruses apart from COVID-19. Norman said the doctor, who spent about an hour with baby River, told her that she was right to bring her son to the hospital for treatment.
Norman told Saltwire that they have been so careful about COVID that it did not initially enter their thoughts that it could be COVID. Norman said River was burning up by bedtime, so they gave him some Tylenol. He then had a fever-induced seizure, which according to Dr. Jeannette Comeau, is common in babies who feel sick.
