In what seems to be the fastest recovery for any COVID-19 cases, a 1-year-old boy has recovered from the virus infection and has been discharged from KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH). baby recovers from covid-19
He is among the five discharges announced by the Ministry of Health in its daily update on Tuesday, 18 February.
The 1-year-old Singaporean tested positive of the virus on Sunday, 16 February. He was previously put under quarantine upon landing in Singapore after being evacuated from Wuhan on 9 February.
Other discharges reported
With the 5 new discharges announced, the total number of cases discharged from hospital is now at 29.
Meanwhile, the MOH also announced 4 new cases, taking the country's total to 81.
Update on other infant COVID-19 cases
A two-year-old Singaporean girl who tested positive of the coronavirus infection on 10 February was discharged on 14 February.
Meanwhile, another infant, a six-month-old, is still receiving treatment at the hospital.
The baby boy, a Singaporean, is the child of an infected couple. He was tested positive for 2019-nCoV infection on 5 February, and is currently warded in an isolation room at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
Coronavirus in babies
Despite the rapid increase of infection of COVID-19 in adults globally, very few children have tested positive in this recent outbreak, which is consistent with other coronavirus outbreaks in recent history including Sars and Mers.
In fact, coronavirus in babies and children “have been rare,” said a report by Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) said the median age of patients for the current outbreak is between 49 and 56 years.
The World Journal of Clinical Paediatrics said the virus was rare in children, though it added that the “reason for low prevalence is not known.” This was in comparison to the Mers outbreak in 2016.
Reducing the risks of COVID-19
Here are a few things you can do to protect your family. Symptoms, as well as the method of spreading of coronavirus, seem to be the same as flu. Therefore, similar precautions are likely to work.
- Boost hand-washing habits. Use soap and water for 20 seconds and as often as possible.
- Avoid direct exposure to sneezing and coughing, and cover nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing.
- Forbid touching eyes, nose and mouth unnecessarily.
- Clean and disinfect household items and surfaces.
- Use alcohol-based hand sanitiser to help keep their hands clean.
- Visit the doctor when feeling unwell.