1st Mainland Child Diagnosed with Critical Novel Coronavirus Recovers

The first child diagnosed with critical novel coronavirus pneumonia on the Chinese mainland has recovered and was discharged from a hospital in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, on Feb 13, 2020. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The first child diagnosed with critical novel coronavirus pneumonia on the Chinese mainland has recovered and was discharged from a hospital in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, on Thursday.

The 1-year-old boy, who goes by the name Niuniu , suffered from occasional diarrhea and vomiting, as well as fever and was sent to the hospital on Jan 26. The initial screening found the boy weak and having a poor appetite, less urine and shortness of breath. Later he was transferred to Wuhan Children's Hospital's intensive care unit.

The first child diagnosed with critical novel coronavirus pneumonia on the Chinese mainland has recovered and was discharged from a hospital in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, on Feb 13, 2020. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

His oxygen saturation – the amount of oxygen in the blood to ensure smooth breathing - was only 80 percent (the healthy range is 95 percent to 100 percent) when he was admitted to the ICU and could not be raised to a standard figure with the help of intubation and medical ventilator.

The computed tomography scan showed that both of the boy's lungs have been infected with suspected novel coronavirus and he also suffered renal malfunctions.

Zhang Furong, chief physician at Wuhan Children's Hospital's Intensive Care Department, said the boy's nucleic acid test – a method to detect novel coronavirus - showed a positive result. The boy, suffering from shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome and acute renal failure, as well as the outcomes of medical imaging, also helped confirm that he became the first child on the Chinese mainland diagnosed with critical novel coronavirus pneumonia.

The first child diagnosed with critical novel coronavirus pneumonia on the Chinese mainland has recovered and was discharged from a hospital in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, on Feb 13, 2020. Here the child is see with medical workers. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The medical team in the ICU treated Niuniu carefully with methods such as continuous blood purification and tried to stabilize his condition by using medications that help improve immunity and nutritional levels.

After the treatment, the boy's condition gradually improved and he was successfully taken off the medical ventilator and intubation on Feb 6. His vital signs have stabilized and after two more negative nucleic acid test results, the medical staff determined that he could leave the hospital.

The first child diagnosed with critical novel coronavirus pneumonia on the Chinese mainland has recovered and was discharged from ahospital in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, on Feb 13, 2020. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Zhang said novel coronavirus pneumonia is mainly manifested by fever and cough, but Niuniu started with showing digestive symptoms at the beginning, adding that medical staff also need to pay attention to those patients without obvious respiratory symptoms.

Niuniu's parents have not shown typical symptoms of novel coronavirus so far, but they haven't gone through nucleic acid tests so their possibility of having asymptomatic infections cannot be ruled out, Zhang added.