As the fight against the new coronavirus continues across the country, infections among younger populations sounded an alarm for parents of babies and children.
A county in Texas has seen an alarming number of new positive cases of COVID-19 in babies.
Nueces County authorities reported that more than 85 babies younger than 1 year tested positive for coronavirus since mid-March, and of those, 60 were reported this month.
The area in South Texas, which includes Corpus Christi, has the highest positivity rate and has seen one of the fastest growing outbreaks in the state. A 6-week-old baby confirmed with COVID-19 died in Nueces County in June.
The coroner said these numbers serve as a reminder that no one is immune to the virus.
A young mother from the state of Arizona affected by the sun’s rays spoke to ABC News Phoenix affiliate KNXV, detailing the moment she learned something was wrong with her 2-month-old daughter Eevee.
MORE: A Serious Coronavirus-Related Disease Hit 285 American Children
“I had a panic attack. I literally started walking and couldn’t breathe because I was so nervous,” Angelica Wendell said when her toddler’s giggles and smiles were replaced by severe congestion, fever and a rash. “I had a bad feeling, so I took her to the emergency room.”
“Everybody says, ‘Kids don’t get it,'” he said, “so when you find out it’s COVID, it’s heartbreaking.”
Wendell believes that Eevee contracted the new coronavirus when her sister visited her.
“Just be careful, even if you don’t let your baby out, be careful who you leave around you because you think even your family is fine, but you may not know exactly what they are doing,” Wendell said. “It is very sad to see your son [get sick]especially with this disease that nobody knows much about. “
MORE: It is too early to declare children “less capable” of transmitting COVID-19: Experts
Wendell told KNXV that Eevee’s health has improved. Recently, he hasn’t had a fever and has started eating again, but he’s just one of a growing number of children who have apparently been infected with the virus in the U.S.
Dr. Todd Ellerin, an infectious disease specialist at South Shore Health in Massachusetts, explained that getting the coronavirus can be especially dangerous for younger patients.
“We have to keep in mind that newborns and babies have an underdeveloped immune system, so that may be one of the reasons why COVID can particularly affect this group,” he said.
MORE: COVID-19 disease in children is usually mild, deaths are rare, according to a UK study
A recent study in the Journal of the American Adacemy of Pediatrics examined the epidemiological characteristics and transmission patterns of pediatric COVID-19 patients in China.
The study showed that 90% of the children who tested positive had mild, moderate, or no symptoms.
The study also showed that 10% of babies who tested positive for coronavirus became seriously ill, and younger children, especially babies, were more prone to serious illness.
Video: alarming number of babies infected with coronavirus in 1 Texas county (ABC News)
UNTIL NEXT TIME
Keep reading
