The youngest COVID-19 patient in Samoa has been discharged from a hospital in what is being described as a miracle by doctors. The toddler's life hung in the balance after contracting COVID-19, with the young girl also battling severe pneumonia.
Head pediatrician Papalii Kamu Tito told RNZ that the miracle baby had been taken home after being in an induced coma for five days. According to Papalii, the toddler was fighting for her life in the hospital's intensive care unit (ICU) for over a week. Papalii and his team were unsure if the baby would make it, but she did.
Papalii issued a statement about the toddler's incredible recovery, saying that the baby had COVID-19 which did not help her condition as she also suffered from severe pneumonia. Papalii added that they had to put her in a coma to allow her body to heal. The head pediatrician noted that she was in a critical condition, and it was a miracle that she was alive.
COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc in Samoa
According to Mayo Clinic, pneumonia is an infection that inflames the air sacs in the lungs. The air sacs may fill with pus or fluid, causing fever, chills, cough with phlegm or pus, and difficulty breathing. A variety of organisms can cause pneumonia, including viruses, fungi, and bacteria.
Papalii acknowledged the assistance of Fiona Miles, a New Zealand pediatric specialist, for coming to the aid of Samoa and offering suggestions for treatment. Papalii paid tribute to the doctor, saying that Miles' input assisted in the baby's treatment. Aside from Miles' treatment, Papalii noted that they also prayed for her to survive, and God answered their prayers through medicinal expertise.
The toddler may have survived COVID-19, but the fight against the deadly coronavirus is far from over. According to Samoa's Ministry of Health report, one more person has died from COVID-19-related causes.
COVID related deaths in Samoa now stand at 20
The ministry said that the deceased person was a 91-year-old woman with comorbidities. She was unvaccinated. Since March, the number of Covid-19 related deaths in Samoa stands at 20, with the Ministry of Health also reporting 618 new positive cases.
Of the 618 COVID cases reported in Samoa, 615 are community cases, and three new cases were detected at the border. The total number of confirmed cumulative positive cases in Samoa, both at the border and in the community, stands at 10,210.
According to a report by Xinhua, the ministry of health in Samoa has confirmed that 92.7 percent of Samoans aged 18 years and above have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The island nation of Samoa had a 100 percent vaccination rate of the first dose for those in its eligible population aged 12-17 years and 18 years and above. The total number of booster doses administered in Samoa currently stands at 72,480.
