Mum of Britain’s youngest suspected coronavirus victim says she’s terrified she’ll lose her eight month old son
THE mum of Britain’s youngest suspected coronavirus victim told The Sun last night: “I’m terrified for my little baby.” Stephanie Adlam’s tot James was treated for a leg injury by a doctor who has the killer virus. The mum of two, 28, is anxiously awaiting test results after eight-month-old James developed symptoms in Worthing, West […]
THE mum of Britain’s youngest suspected coronavirus victim told The Sun last night: “I’m terrified for my little baby.”
Stephanie Adlam’s tot James was treated for a leg injury by a doctor who has the killer virus.
The mum of two, 28, is anxiously awaiting test results after eight-month-old James developed symptoms in Worthing, West Sussex.
She added: “I have to live every moment wondering if he might die.”
Stephanie was told by medics that eight-month-old James came into “direct, significant contact” with a doctor who is infected.
The tot has since had severe symptoms, including a sweltering temperature, coughing fits, runny nose and extreme fatigue.
Mum-of-two Stephanie is due to receive test results tomorrow to find out if he or she have the virus, which has killed 1,710 worldwide.
The pair are holed up in their flat in Worthing, West Sussex — both wearing masks after being told by experts to self-isolate.
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Stephanie has accused officials at Worthing Hospital — where the doctor treated James — of leaving her family high and dry since they were found to be at risk.
She said: “We have been abandoned. I have to live every moment wondering if my little boy might die and no one is helping me.
“I’ve had nothing from the hospital. Not a ‘How are you?’ or ‘What’s going on?’ ‘How’s the baby?’ We’ve just been told to stay indoors and call 111 if our symptoms get worse.
“The first thing going through my head is that this thing is going to kill me, my son, my ex-partner and daughter.
“James had a terrible temperature of 38.3C.
“He has an awful cold, a bad cough, his nose has been running.
“My daughter has also been having coughing fits.
“I have been feeling sick. It’s been a living nightmare.”
She also blasted hospital chiefs for not confirming sooner that an A&E worker had tested positive.
The nightmare began when James, who has the blood condition haemophilia, was admitted to Worthing Hospital on February 2 for an internal bleed on his leg after knocking it while playing.
It was during their week-stay there that the tot and his mum came into contact with a male GP, now confirmed to have contracted the virus.
PARAMEDICS IN HAZMAT SUITS ARRIVED IN MINUTES
Speaking from her home, Stephanie told The Sun: “One minute we’re getting his leg checked and all of a sudden we’re potential victims of this virus that is killing people across the world.”
After leaving the hospital and returning home with her children, Stephanie was phoned by officials from Public Health England who told them they were at risk.
Within minutes, paramedics in hazmat suits arrived and took them to hospital in an ambulance for testing.
Stephanie said: “We were put in a room with just two chairs and a phone. We sat there so scared.
“I just wanted to hold my son and be close to him.
“I sat there and prayed that he hadn’t got this terrible virus.”
What to do if you're worried you've got coronavirus
BRITISH health chiefs have raised the coronavirus risk to the public from low to moderate.
Health professionals are working to contact anyone who has been in close contact with people who have coronavirus.
The majority of those who have been infected with the virus so far have either visited China or been in close contact with someone who has.
But if you are concerned, knowing the signs is one of the best ways to protect yourself from 2019-nCoV.
Symptoms usually include:
- a cough
- a high temperature
- difficulty breathing
In most cases, you won’t know whether you have a coronavirus or a different cold-causing virus.
But if a coronavirus infection spreads to the lower respiratory tract, it can cause pneumonia, especially in older people, people with heart disease or people with weakened immune systems.
It is incredibly contagious and is spread through contact with anything the virus is on as well as infected breath, coughs or sneezes.
The best way to prevent catching any form of coronavirus is to practice good hygiene.
If you have cold-like symptoms, you can help protect others by staying home when you are sick and avoiding contact with others.
You should also cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough and sneeze then throw it away and wash your hands.
Cleaning and disinfecting objects and surfaces which you may have touched is also important.
If you have returned from Wuhan in the last 14 days:
- Stay indoors and avoid contact with other people as you would with other flu viruses
- Call NHS 111 to inform them of your recent travel to the city
- your recent travel to the city
If you are in Northern Ireland, call your GP.
Please follow this advice even if you do not have symptoms of the virus.
Meanwhile, leading symptom-checking provider to the NHS Doctorlink has been updated to help identify patients’ risk of having coronavirus.
Source: NHS
A doctor in full hazmat suit then took three swabs from both mum and son.
Stephanie added “We had masks put around our mouths and rushed out the back of the hospital through a side door.
“We were then told to get home as quickly as possible and not to leave the house.
“I suffer from really bad anxiety and waiting for these tests results has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
Both James and his five-year-old sister Fran are having their temperatures checked every two hours to keep the fever in check.
‘WE ARE IN HELL’
Last night the children’s father, Stephanie’s former partner Nick, said: “We are in hell and completely petrified.
“We are giving the kids Calpol and paracetamol but nothing seems to ease their symptoms.
“The only time we can open the door is to take food deliveries.”
Dad-of-two Stephen from Hove, East Sussex, caught the virus in Singapore.
He unwittingly spread the infection to 11 other Brits — including a group of GPs — during a skiing holiday in France.
Tim Loughton, MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, said last night: “One of those GPs worked a shift at the A&E department at Worthing last week — and that’s the connection.”
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The doctor’s identity has been kept secret.
Stephanie spoke out to urge the Government and health authorities to act quicker in a bid to get the crisis under control.
So far, 2,521 people in the UK have been tested for coronavirus, with just nine confirmed cases
Yesterday NHS head Sir Simon Stevens warned “many more” Brits will have to self-isolate at home to limit its spread.
More than 80 Brits evacuated from virus-hit China were allowed to leave quarantine at a Wirral hospital yesterday.
A BIG spike in new cases in China was yesterday put down to changes in its testing methods.
The country’s death toll also leapt by 254 in just 24 hours.
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