‘Be careful’: Regina’s grandmother of a hospitalized 5-year-old boy asks for caution against COVID-19 | The Canadian News

The grandmother of a five-year-old Regina is pleading for continued surveillance against COVID-19 after her grandson was admitted to the hospital earlier this week.

“All five of my grandson. I shouldn’t have a heart checkup at age five, ”Kerry Bellegarde-Opoonechaw said Thursday.

“Time to be careful now. We, as leaders, parents and caregivers, must be totally attentive to the care of our youth. We should get vaccinated, wear masks and not go out if we don’t have to. “

Maverick Bennett woke up feeling ill Tuesday with symptoms of COVID-19. That day, both he and his mother, Janis, were admitted to the hospital and tested positive.

“It was swollen. His eyes were very dark and they were closed. I was lethargic and not really responding, ”explained Bellegarde-Opponechaw.

And he wasn’t eating. They both haven’t eaten in a while. Your appetites are gone. The disease does not allow them to eat. “

She said that as of Thursday, Maverick is on an IV for nutrition, and his heart is being monitored, just as he deals with an inflammatory response.

Since the province began isolating the age group for daily reports on Sept. 14, it has reported 775 cases of COVID-19 in children ages 0-11 (the province did not release age-specific data on Sept. 18 September 19th).

The Health Ministry added Thursday that there are currently four children under the age of 12 who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are in hospital, none of whom are in the ICU.

Pediatrician Ayisha Kurji Such evidence shows that children are less likely to end up in the hospital.

“It is still something that we are trying to solve. They are believed to have different cells in their nasal passages, which is where we inhale the virus and the different cells prevent some of that virus from entering their system, “he said.

“The other part is that their immune systems work differently. They are prepared to learn different viruses and try to fight them very quickly. Part of the problem with COVID is the inflammatory response your body generates when it sees that virus, and children don’t always have the same inflammatory response. “

But still, he says that with the number of new cases so high, some children will inevitably end up needing urgent medical attention.

“We know that some children have the prolonged COVID symptoms that we see in adults, though less so than adults, just as fewer children are getting very sick from COVID,” said Kurji, associate professor of general pediatrics at the University of Saskatchewan.

“But as the number of children becoming infected increases, we suspect that some could end up in the hospital and become ill. Sometimes they can have a lot of inflammation and end up very sick in the ICU. “

According to a statement sent by Health Canada on Thursday, “All licensed COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers in Canada are conducting or planning studies in adolescents and younger children, including children 6 months to 11 years of age.

“Health Canada anticipates that vaccine manufacturers will provide data on children in the coming months.”

However, the statement goes on to say that “at this time, no application has been received for approval of any COVID-19 vaccine in children under the age of 12.”

With that in mind, and with probability that some transmission is still possible even among those vaccinated, Kurji said the health habits built at the beginning of the pandemic still need to be followed.

“Wear your mask wherever you go, especially indoors with shared indoor airspace, wash your hands frequently, stay away even if you are outside and keep your contacts low to help our contact trackers and so if you contract COVID you are spreading fewer people. “

Bellegarde-Opoonechaw points to her grandson as evidence why so much caution is still needed.

He said his daughter Janis chose not to get vaccinated, but took every precaution possible not to contract COVID-19, including making sure she and Maverick were always masked when they went out, disinfecting frequently and limiting social contact.

She encourages everyone who can to get vaccinated and to continue to practice other tactics to prevent spread even after vaccination.

“We just hope they get better and people realize how important it is to get vaccinated.”

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