Kolkata: 33-day-old Covid-19 survivor returns home after 30-day battle

KOLKATA: A 33-day-old boy conquered Covid and post-Covid complications at a private hospital in Kolkata, making him the youngest to beat the virus in the state. His parents returned home on Wednesday with their bundle of joy from Fortis Hospital where the child fought for his life for 30 days, including 23 days on oxygen support. The infant’s twin sister died three days after birth even as he tested positive.
The mother had prematurely delivered the twins (31 weeks) at a private hospital in Salt Lake. The delivery required emergency C-section. The mother tested positive to the infection. When one of the twins died, doctors decided to test the other for Covid as he was suffering from breathing issues. The test confirmed Covid in the baby. While the mother was shifted to another private hospital, the baby was referred to Fortis Hospital, Anandapur.
“The baby weighed just 1.3kg and suffered from respiratory distress and malnutrition. We kept him in the isolation ward under oxygen support and other supportive therapies,” said neonatologist Sumita Saha, whose team took care of the baby. The baby tested positive on two consecutive occasions on Day 9 and 16. But he tested negative on day 21. Even as the doctors thought the newborn had won the battle, they baby developed tachycardia, a condition in which the heart rate increases.
“All tests we conducted on the newborn for tachycardia indicated post-Covid myocarditis — a disease of the heart muscle. Luckily, the impact of the disease on the infant was mild and his condition improved after medication. Covid-19 is a relatively new disease. We could not find any literature of symptomatic Covid infection in a premature baby,” Saha said.
For the young couple from central Kolkata, who were excited to have become parents for the first time, the death of one of the twins was a severe blow. It turned out to be worse when the other tested positive. “We were looking forward to parenting the twins. Unfortunately, we lost our girl. We were so worried about the boy when he tested positive,” said the father.
His wife was shifted to another hospital in Salt Lake for Covid treatment after the delivery. She was discharged after five days of treatment. She has been visiting Fortis Hospital for the past one week to breastfeed the baby, after the mandatory home isolation and testing Covid negative. “Our baby has gained around 2kg now. We are thankful to the doctors who saved our son. Otherwise we would have been totally devastated,” said the father.