20-day-old infant wins battle against Covid-19

Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, May 7

A 20-day-old baby boy from Kapurthala on Friday won the battle against the virus and was discharged.

Gurdeep Singh, father of the infant, recalled the nightmarish experience that he and his family had to go through. “Our excitement of having a new family member was short-lived as our baby developed high fever and got seizures just days after his birth. Our little baby has undergone so much pain and tough treatment right at his birth. It was painful to see him take RT-PCR tests and breathe through oxygen mask for two days. His skin had to be repeatedly punctured for various tests and taking blood samples. Besides, the infant had to undergo chest X-rays, which confirmed patches of pneumonia. Thankfully, the bad phase is over for us,” said the father, holding the baby lovingly in his lap as he got a picture clicked with staff of Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Jalandhar, where his child remained admitted for treatment.

What father has to say

Gurdeep Singh, father of the infant, recalled the nightmarish experience that he and his family had to go through. Our excitement of having a new family member was short-lived as our baby developed high fever and got seizures just days after his birth. Our little baby has undergone so much pain and tough treatment right at his birth. It was painful to see him take RT-PCR tests and breathe through oxygen mask for two days.

Dr Jatinder Singh (professor in the Department of Paediatrics) said, “Seeing prevalence of the infection in children, we had already created a four-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with our expert team. The baby boy, Sukhdeep Singh, had to be put on the Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) machine for three days and on oxygen for two days. He was given treatment for 10 days and was discharged in a healthy condition. Our team worked day and night to take care of the little one.”

Dr Jatinder added, “During the first wave, we never experienced children/newborns affected by the virus, but during the second wave, we are seeing a rise in the number of paediatric Covid-19 cases.” He said this was the first case of a Covid-positive neonate at PIMS and a big challenge for the team. We are happy to discharge the patient in a healthy condition.

The doctor advised, “In case a baby is Covid-positive, parents need not panic. Mothers must not stop breastfeeding their babies. The mother should breastfeed by taking all precautions like wearing N-95 mask, gloves and gown. The mother must keep her mouth on one side while feeding child to avoid direct contact with child.” Dr Jatinder said it was very important to get their second dose of the vaccine on time.

Amit Singh, Resident Director of PIMS, said, “It gives us much satisfaction that our team of doctors have saved a newborn and made him reunite with the family. During the second wave, kids will be more vulnerable as they are not vaccinated. We should avoid going to crowded places or larger gatherings and continue to make them follow the protocols of social distancing, wearing mask and hand sanitisation.”