Jess Mitchell of Cornwall, England, thought her son Perran was just teethingĀ when he "woke up in a bit of a funk" on Sunday, March 22. Little did she know that the signs she was seeing were actually symptoms of COVID-19. Now, Mitchell is urgently warning other parents.
When 1-year-old Perran woke up on the UK's Mother's Day, Mitchell assumed her son was going through normal growing pains.
Speaking with SWNS, the mom said they got up early to "get some fresh air" and thought the cold air "could help with his temperature."
But she "did not think much more of it."
At lunch, they took another walk, but then things started to go downhill quickly.
"He went really lethargic and really cuddly, which was not like him," Mitchell recalls. "He then had a horrendousĀ temperature."
But still, Perran showed no respiratory symptoms (coughing or trouble breathing) commonly associated with the virus.
But his mother says his temperature was "on fire."
"We tested his temperature and it was over 39 degrees (Celsius, about 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit)," she says. "Then, we got really worried and we did not know what to do."
So, they called 111, the non-emergency medical line in England, and after speaking to five different people before finally got through to a doctor who was "really reassuring."
Although he didn't test Perran for the disease, based on his symptoms he was able to diagnose the boy with the coronavirus.
Now, the whole family, Mitchell, her husband Joe, and their 4-year-old, Felicity, must self-isolate for two weeks. Jess and Joe are both in their 30s.
"My mom is in the same house, and we have to self-isolate away from her, as she is 66 and has health concerns," the mom laments.
Her son is expected to make a full recovery.
But now the mom is sharing her story because many people wrongly believe that babies or infants can't get the virus.
''They will get it but just might not get the severe repercussions," she explained. "They can still be carriers though, and that is what makes it dangerous."
And unfortunately that means there isn't a lot of clear advice on how to treat very, very young patients.
Despite the quarantine, her son is "still not himself."
"He is really hot and is jerking awake," she explained. "He is not really eating, but should be okay. People think children are immune but they are still getting it. He should bounce back, but it has still been a bit of a shock for us all."
The mom admitted that she and her husband assumed they would be the ones to get the virus, not Perran.
And she condemned people who are still not taking the threat seriously, saying, "you still see some being selfish" by going out of the house and possibly spreading it to others.
"I just urge everyone to follow the guidelines," she added. "Anyone can get it — young or old. A baby or healthy 30-year-old might be okay, but it is the vulnerable people they might give it to that will die."
Parents who worry about contracting the virus from their kids should take specific precautions.
Just like if an older household member contracted COVID-19, parents need to take care to keep themselves and the other members of their family from getting sick.
According to the CDC, it's important to keep infected household members in their own separate room with their own bathroom, keep washing your hands, and encouraging them to wash their hands regularly, disinfect their room and bathroom to stop the spread of germs, and avoid sharing personal items with kids like food, drinks, and eating utensils.
As for Perran, the parents have taken to spreading the word of their son's illness in their own community as well.
SWNS reports that on Facebook, Joe wrote a post warning friends and family to "take this virus seriously."
"111 are telling us his symptoms are coronavirus," he wrote. "My son. The infection has got to him through means we cannot comprehend. This is real."
