A 11-month-old infant left a Chandigarh hospital yesterday after recovering from Covid-19, officials said.
The youngest Covid-19 patient of Chandigarh and her mother are among nine people who have recovered and left the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research’s (PGIMER) Covid hospital.
Holding the daughter in her arms, the Sector 30 resident got emotional at the discharge.
“No words are enough to convey my thanks to the entire PGIMER team. It’s just because of them that I and my daughter are healthy today,” the woman said.
“There were phases of hopelessness and despair and I thought I had lost the battle. But the PGIMER team, with their constant medical and psychological support, made me sail through. I stand indebted to each and every one of them for their care, concern and compassion,” she said.
Her advice to everyone fighting the Covid-19 battle: don’t lose faith in the Almighty and follow doctors’ instructions without any dilution.
The mother and daughter were given a warm sendoff with the hospital showering them with petals and gifts, symbolically wishing them good health and happiness.
PGIMER director Jagat Ram who was present congratulated the mother and daughter on their successful recovery.
He was accompanied by Additional Medical Superintendent Vipin Koushal, Shefali Sharma of the Department of Internal Medicine, Naveen Pandey of the Department of Hospital Administration, Swapanjit Sahu of the Department of Psychiatry and many more members of the PGIMER Covid-19 team.
“There is always a silver lining in the dark clouds. In these extremely challenging times, this moment, when any patient gets discharged after declared cured from Covid-19, is a moment of triumph and jubilation not only for the patient and his family, but for the entire medical team,” the PGIMER director said.
“Today, it’s all the more special because the recovery of the baby of Covid-19 was a huge challenge for the medical team due to her tender age,” he said.
He said the untiring efforts of the PGIMER Covid-19 team had paid off and the mother and daughter were reunited with their family.
“These are the moments that keep healthcare workers going strong even at the risk of their own lives and reiterate their faith in this noble profession,” he said.
All four family members of the child had tested Covid-19 positive and were admitted to the PGI on April 3.
The baby’s father was discharged a week earlier.
Only her grandmother is still at the hospital but is stable and recovering from Covid-19, doctors said.
Additional Medical Superintendent Vipin Koushal said: “It was the perfect birthday gift for me today. It was such a bliss to see the young angel cured and have her blessings. One can imagine how gruelling it must have been for the child who could not even express her pain and anguish.”
The whole team had got emotionally attached to this little girl, Koushal said, adding he was glad that she and her mother were healthy and in good spirits now.
Underlining the importance of psychological interventions along with pharmacological treatment to help a patient fight Covid-19, Sahu of the Department of Psychiatry said: “Though both mother and daughter were stable physically, psychologically it was a very stressful experience to stay isolated from everyone. The mother reported significant distress during her stay and was consistently counselled through video link, addressing her anxiety and anger.
“Things were slightly not in favour as despite being testing negative she had to stay for more days as the baby was testing positive again and again. This can be really disappointing for anyone but regular counselling and support helped her in winning the war against Covid-19.”
Though discharged from the PGI, the mother and daughter will be home quarantined for 14 days as per the standard protocol followed by all Covid-19 patients.