Georgia girl, 12, with no pre-existing medical conditions fights for her life after contracting coronavirus
A 12-year-old girl is currently on life support at a hospital in Atlanta after testing positive for coronavirus.
The girl, who has only been identified as Emma, was diagnosed with pneumonia on March 15. Just a day after she was found to be infected with COVID-19, she was put on a ventilator on March 21. Justin Anthony, Emma's cousin, said that she was currently "fighting for her life" but was in a stable condition, CNN reported.
Anthony added that Emma had not traveled outside the US recently and hence, could not have picked up the virus from anywhere abroad. No one had any idea how she could have contracted the virus, he said.
Given her tender age and the fact that she did not have any pre-existing conditions, Emma's condition should not have deteriorated this fast.
Health officials have put the "at risk" group to be aged above 60 and with pre-existing health conditions such as lung and heart diseases and diabetes. Children, who have been infected with coronavirus, usually developed milder form of symptoms and none of the cases have been fatal so far.
Anthony said that he had gotten permission from Emma's mother to tell her story because the family wanted to spread public awareness about the seriousness of coronavirus and burst the myth that it only adversely affects the elderly.
"I know first hand how dangerous it is," he said. "Everyone keeps saying 'it doesn't impact younger people.' But here's a 12-year-old fighting for her life. People need to practice social distancing. People need to take care of their children. People need to take this seriously."
Jessica Pope, the spokeswoman of the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta-Scottish Rite Hospital, confirmed that a patient had tested positive for novel coronavirus, although she refused to reveal any further details. "The patient remains in isolation, and we have consistently used appropriate precautions. Additional details will not be released due to patient privacy laws," she said.
According to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, out of nearly 45,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in China till February 11, only one patient younger than 20 died of the virus. None of the fatalities were aged below 10.
A new study that will be published in the journal Pediatrics in June found that the only child who died of coronavirus in China, of the 731 confirmed cases of infected children, was aged 14. In addition, six percent of children's cases were severe. On the other hand, 18.5 percent of adults experienced severe symptoms.
When it comes to the US, a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, showed that 20 percent of hospitalizations in coronavirus cases were made up of patients aged between 20 and 44. However, the same report stated that none of the COVID-19 patients who had to be admitted to the intensive care unit were under19. For this study, the CDC took into account about 2,500 patients in the US whose ages were known.
There are currently 620 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Georgia, including 25 deaths, CNN reported.