The girl and her parents, as well as her paternal and maternal grandfathers, were all infected with coronavirus COVID-19.

Jiang Xiaowei / SHINE

Another 13 patients with coronavirus infection were discharged upon recovery on Thursday, including the youngest patient, a 7-month-old baby girl.

The girl, who was exposed to an infected family member during a holiday gathering, was confirmed with infection on February 3 and transferred to the Children’s Hospital of Fudan University, a designated hospital for juvenile patients with coronavirus.

Her maternal grandparents came to Shanghai from Wuhan, the heart of the current epidemic, in late January. They had two family dinners with other relatives and stayed with the girl and her parents in Putuo District.

The girl and her parents, as well as her paternal and maternal grandfathers, were all infected with coronavirus. The adult patients were hospitalized at Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, a designated hospital, for quarantine and treatment.

The girl was quarantined and treated at the children’s hospital, which dispatched nurses to take care of her around the clock.



“The girl had mild symptoms of respiratory infection, so we gave medication in line with her condition and she recovered very quickly,” said Dr Zeng Mei, director of the hospital’s infectious disease department. “The little baby was alone in the hospital, so medical staff gave extra care to her. She's completely recovered and the infection won’t impact her development in the future.”

Xia Aimei, head nurse of the infectious disease department, said taking care of such a young child is a challenge. “On the first day of arrival, a nurse even held her for the whole night to ensure that she slept well.”

The girl’s parents, who were discharged upon recovery days ago, came to the hospital to take her home.

“We are very grateful to all medical staff who have taken great care of my daughter. She's recovered very well and even gained weight,” said the father.

So far, the children’s hospital has received 10 patients with coronavirus infection and six have been released upon recovery. The remaining four patients are all stable. Another two suspected cases are undergoing quarantine and observation, the hospital said.

“We are glad that no patient’s condition has become more serious after being hospitalized here. We will try our best to treat every patient,” said Huang Guoying, president of the children’s hospital.

So far, Shanghai has reported 334 coronavirus cases with 199 being discharged upon recovery.

Ti Gong