1st child with critical condition recovers

The first child diagnosed with critical novel coronavirus pneumonia on the Chinese mainland has recovered and was discharged from a hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, on Thursday.

The 1-year-old boy, who goes by the name Niuniu, suffered from occasional diarrhea and vomiting, as well as fever, and was sent to the hospital on Jan 26.

The initial screening found the boy weak and having a poor appetite, less urine and shortness of breath. Later he was transferred to the Wuhan Children's Hospital's intensive care unit.

His oxygen saturation－the amount of oxygen in the blood to ensure smooth breathing－was only 80 percent of normal when he was admitted to the ICU.

Zhang Furong, chief physician at Wuhan Children's Hospital's Intensive Care Department, said the boy's nucleic acid test－a method to detect the novel coronavirus－showed a positive result.

The medical team in the ICU treated Niuniu with methods such as continuous blood purification and tried to stabilize his condition by using medications that help improve immunity and nutritional levels.

After the treatment and care of medical workers, the boy's condition gradually improved and he was successfully taken off the medical ventilator and intubation on Feb 6.

His vital signs have stabilized and after two more negative nucleic acid test results, the medical staff determined that he could leave the hospital.

Zhang said novel coronavirus pneumonia is mainly manifested by fever and cough, but Niuniu started showing digestive symptoms at the beginning, adding that medical staff also need to pay attention to patients without obvious respiratory symptoms.