Newborn from British Columbia hospitalized overnight with coronavirus; always sick at home

VANCOUVER – An infant from the interior of British Columbia was hospitalized overnight Monday with a fever and other symptoms, tested positive for COVID-19 at Kelowna General Hospital.

CTV News spoke to the mother of the 11-week-old boy after images of an infant in a hospital bed, allegedly in Kelowna, began circulating on social media. She confirmed the photo showed her child after rushing him to hospital for evaluation.

The family, who do not want to be publicly identified, became concerned when the newborn baby developed a fever and cough earlier this week.

“He still has a fever, cough (and) sore throat and needs regular medication to manage the pain, eat and control his rising fever,” his mother said. “We got home at noon yesterday when the doctors were comfortable with his urine output. “

She received a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and tested positive for the disease alongside her youngest child. She says her second dose was scheduled the day the baby came home from the hospital.

“I had very mild symptoms,” she said. “I didn’t even know I was sick.

The family believe they caught the virus from a small outdoor wedding. They were not contacted by contact tracers and say they discovered the exhibit on their own.

“Inside there were two children (in the hospital) but both were released from the hospital and we had no children inside the intensive care unit,” the agent confirmed on Wednesday. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry at a press conference.

“As you know the Delta variant is more transmissible, we see transmission in a number of settings.”

COVID-19 ON THE RISE IN THE OKANAGAN REGION

The central Okanagan region experienced the first wave of infections during Wave Four, where the Delta variant now represents at least 95% of cases, but cases have been increasing in other regions of the province for several days.

American doctors already have saw a peak in children hospitalized as the Delta variant ravages the United States, with pediatricians warning children to be more susceptible to this virus mutation.

Despite this, BC health officials insist childhood infections are low in that province and recently said they plan to move forward with a school year “as normal as possible”, even if children under 12 are not eligible for vaccines.

The mother of the newborn hopes their experience will encourage all eligible British Columbians to get the vaccine to prevent those too young to get the vaccine from getting sick.

“(I am) glad that my position and my experience influenced some breastfeeding mothers to get vaccinated,” she said. “That’s why I shared my experience with my social contacts.”