A two-month-old
premature baby has been diagnosed with a severe case of Covid-19 infection,
according to Macau health officials.
The baby – a local
resident – was admitted to the city’s public hospital Centro Hospitalar Conde
de São Januário last Monday for medical care after developing symptoms such as
vomiting, cyanosis, and breathing difficulty.
The infant was later
confirmed to have tested positive for Covid-19, and was diagnosed with a severe
case of the virus that was complicated by sepsis.
The health authorities said
that he had once been in critical condition and required the use of a
ventilator to maintain his breathing.
However, the baby’s condition improved significantly after receiving treatment, and was finally off the ventilator on Thursday. The hospital said that they expected the baby to make a full recovery soon.
It was the first time a
severe Covid case had been reported officially since infections started to
remerge in late April.
Last week, the city’s health chief Alvis Lo said that the daily number of patients seeking emergency treatment at the public hospital had surged to nearly 1,000 on average. It represented a significant increase from the previous range of 600 to 700 patients per day.
According to the hospital,
the baby’s mother had already received two doses of the Covid vaccine, but did
not receive a booster shot during her pregnancy. All other family
members who lived with the baby, however, tested negative for the highly
contagious virus.
Earlier this month, the
World Health Organization declared that Covid-19 was no longer a ‘global health
emergency’.
