Three kids in UAE escape coronavirus despite living with infected parents at hospital

Dubai - While their parents needed several rounds of medications, the kids never showed any symptom.

After staying with their Covid-positive parents at a hospital in Dubai, five-year-old twins and a one-year-old baby managed to walk out of isolation completely virus-free. They were never infected.
Their parents were all medical professionals and, since the kids were too young, they had to stay with their folks at the medical isolation facility.
"I can only thank God and call this a miracle, as I was sure they would test positive, but when we tested them after our quarantine, results came out negative," said Dr Yashdeep Sinha, a general surgeon at Aster Clinic in Dubai and father of the twins Ridhima and Rihaan.
Dr Sinha and his wife Pushpalatha faced their worst nightmare when they found out they had the virus. "My kids are very small, and we did not have anyone here who could take care of them when we were hospitalised. As our condition worsened, we were completely breathless and put on oxygen support," the doctor recalled.
While the couple lay on separate beds that were connected to a breathing equipment, the twins were given a small corner space with a bed inside the same ward, Dr Sinha said. "We maintained a two-metre distance from them at all times."
It was an excruciating, emotional experience, he said, lamenting how they were too sick to take care of their children. "They would come near our bedside and occasionally check on us to see if we were okay. The hospital was also great.the kids were given everything they needed, with the occasional candy bar," Dr Sinha said. The twins spent their fifth birthday in the ward and celebrated by cutting a cake.
Dr Mustafa Saif, an internal medicine specialist and head of department in emergency at Aster Hospital - Mankhool, said that as they treated the couple, they were also constantly monitoring the kids.
While their parents needed several rounds of medications, the kids never showed any symptom. "I saw the same incidence in another patient I treated. She is a staff nurse and her one-year-old baby also escaped the virus," Dr Saif said.
Low incidence rate among children
The family's experience, particularly the kids' escape from the virus, highlighted the low rate of Covid-19 infection among children, said Dr Anjana Kannoth, a paediatrics and neonatology specialist at Aster Hospital in Mankhool.
According to a report by Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in August, fewer cases of Covid-19 have been recorded among children (age 0-17 years), compared with adults.
"Parents in the UAE have done an excellent job of keeping their little ones safe by keeping them at home. Furthermore, schools were closed at the right time and, once they reopened, extreme precautions have been taken to ensure child safety," said Dr Anjana.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai