The mother of a baby who was hospitalised for Covid-19 is urging parents to be on the lookout for less common symptoms, such as mottled skin and sickness.
Myer Rudelhoff told the BBC that her four-month-old son, George, showed several signs of being ill, but she did not initially connect the symptoms to coronavirus.
The infant had a high temperature, but also had patchy skin, swelling on his lips and struggled to keep fluids down.
He initially showed a temperature on New Year’s Eve, but Mrs Rudlehoff, from Basildon, Essex, thought it had to do with teething.
When he began vomiting the following evening and on 2 January, however, she grew more concerned and called NHS 111, with a responder telling her to take her baby to hospital.
“I really did not want to go. I was so scared about him getting the virus there,” she said.
However, it turned out that the infant was already suffering from the virus.
“He got so poorly so quickly when we arrived and was really lethargic,” she said. "They took a swab and, when they said he was positive, I burst into tears. It was such a shock."
“I thought it was a sickness bug. I had no idea it was caused by coronavirus,” she said.
The officially recognised symptoms of coronavirus are a fever, cough and loss of smell or taste.
Some researchers, however, have said that diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal cramps in children can also be potential, but less common, signs of the virus.
Mrs Rudelhoff said nurses had told her that they had treated other children with similar symptoms, including mottled skin and sickness. She said they asked her to share her story to raise awareness of the potential symptoms.
A Facebook post published by the mother was shared nearly 7,000 times within three days.
While Mrs Rudelhoff said she was grateful for the “amazing” help of the hospital staff, she said she felt “upset, angry and frustrated” that her son caught the virus despite the family taking the pandemic seriously.
The infant was the only member of the family who tested positive for the virus.
The Independent has contacted Mrs Rudelhoff for comment.
