1-Year-Old COVID-19 Patient In Induced Coma With Severe Pneumonia, Struggling To Survive

KEY POINTS

A 14-month-old girl fighting severe pneumonia in Samoa contracted COVID-19
She is believed to be the youngest coronavirus patient in the country to date
Health staff are now seeking medical help from New Zealand on how to help the child

A 14-month-old baby girl in Samoa, who was in a medically induced coma due to severe pneumonia, has contracted COVID-19.

The child had been in a coma for three days and is currently fighting for her life in the hospital, The New Zealand Herald reported. She is slowly recovering but is still in critical condition.

It was unclear when the baby, believed to be Samoa's youngest COVID-19 patient to date, contracted the disease.

The people of Samoa are now rallying to support the child following reports of her infection.

Health staff in the country are also seeking medical advice from other nations following confirmation that the child caught COVID-19.

They are currently speaking with a pediatrician in New Zealand on how to help the girl, according to Dr. Papali'i Tito Kamu.

Samoa Global News, a local newspaper, ran an editorial calling on the country to unite in prayer for the child and everyone affected by the virus.

People from around the country and Samoans based overseas, including New Zealand, reportedly took to the social media site Facebook to post prayers and share words of encouragement for families affected by COVID-19.

Samoa has reported a total of 4,092 coronavirus cases and 9 deaths, data provided by the World Health Organization showed.

The country, which has a population of 198,410, according to the World Bank, reported four COVID-19 fatalities last week. They were men aged between 56 and 74 years old. Among them, the eldest was the only person with no known medical condition.

The youngest of last week's fatalities was unvaccinated, and it was unclear if the rest of the men were vaccinated.

There are currently 3,500 community cases on the islands of Upolu and Savaii. Meanwhile, around 1,500 cases have recovered, authorities said.

The government of Samoa extended on April 8 the country's State of Emergency, which was supposed to end Monday. It will now run for another four weeks and end on May 8.

Businesses and government services are still allowed to operate until 2 p.m. from Monday to Saturday.

Meanwhile, churches were allowed to open their doors to up to 30 people starting Wednesday amid the ongoing lockdown.