On March 10, a 3-month-old boy was discharged from the Chengdu Public Health Clinical Medical Center. He is the youngest COVID-19 patient in Chengdu. The baby was treated between February 7 and March 10.

 

The baby patient with doctors at Chengdu Public Health Clinical Medical Center

 

Xiao Xujue, the head nurse of the second emergency department of Chengdu Public Health Clinical Medical Center, told reporters that for the care of the mother and baby, they developed personalized treatment and nursing programs. During the rounds, the nurses would check the baby’s skin for redness, his breathing and digestion. They also taught the mother how to pat the baby’s back to enable him to burp and other nursing actions.

 

Chengdu Public Health Clinical Medical Center 

 

In terms of treatment, experts from Chengdu Public Health Clinical Medical Center also developed a separate medication plan for the baby. The mother, who is also cured of COVID-19, said her child’s treatment plan was different than that followed for adults. The adults took antiviral drugs while children were prescribed protective drugs.

 

Nurses take care of the baby patient

 

Speaking about the challenges, Yang Ming, the child’s attending physician, said since the baby was too young to express anything, they had to judge the child’s physical condition from his facial expressions and by talking to his mother. Crying more often meant the baby was not feeling well, while a happy baby meant he was feeling better. 

 

Chengdu Public Health Clinical Medical Center

 

The mother and baby will be housed in an isolation centre in Jintang County for 14 days after discharge. The medical staff of Guancang Town Health Center in Jintang County are now on WeChat with the mother to provide guidance on nursing during the isolation through video and voice.

 

As on 0:00 on March 17, there have been no new confirmed cases in Sichuan Province for 12 consecutive days and there have been zero suspected cases. While 16 people have been hospitalized for isolation treatment, 520 have been cured and discharged and three have died. (By Edina Liang）