Scotland’s ‘youngest coronavirus sufferer’ recovers at just three weeks old

A three-week-old baby thought to have been the youngest person in Scotland to catch the coronavirus has recovered.

Peyton was born eight weeks premature on 26 March after her mother Tracy Maguire, 27, was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia.

While being cared for in an incubator, the 3lb 11oz baby girl tested positive for the virus on 15 April after developing a “sniffle”.

Maguire – a digital marketing student – self-isolated with her newborn for 14 days until two tests revealed Peyton had beaten the infection. The newborn is not thought to have developed the respiratory disease COVID-19, which can be triggered by the coronavirus.

The family are now together at their home in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire.

‘She’d had a sniffle’

Peyton was born via C-section at University Hospital Wishaw, near Glasgow.

Pre-eclampsia, which causes high blood pressure during pregnancy, can only be cured by delivering the baby.

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“She’d had a sniffle, which is why they’d tested her for a range of viruses including [the coronavirus],” said Maguire.

The infection does not generally cause a runny nose. A fever and cough are the tell-tale symptoms.

“When I heard Peyton had coronavirus I was sobbing and really worried about how it could affect her respiratory system, her lungs and if it was life-threatening,” said Maguire.

Maguire and her partner AJ, 28, were told to stay home while Peyton was in isolation.

“I pleaded not to be apart from my baby for that long,” said Maguire.

“The staff kindly agreed I could to isolate with her in the hospital while AJ stayed at home.”

Family ‘reunited’

With Peyton given the all-clear, Maguire has paid tribute to the healthcare workers.

“Watching the staff at work was incredible,” she said.

“They put their lives at risk to make sure my baby was getting fed and cuddled.

“Even wearing their PPE [personal protective equipment], they were determined to hold her.”

Maguire is also speaking out to reassure pregnant women who may be anxious about giving birth during this turbulent time.

“My message to any mums-to-be is they shouldn’t be worried about going into hospital to give birth because the staff know exactly what they need to do to protect everyone from the virus,” she said.

“If people have symptoms of a serious health problem, like I did, they shouldn’t be scared to go to hospital and get checked out, because just leaving it could make their condition worse.”

NHS Lanarkshire’s chief midwife Cheryl Clark said: “We’re delighted the fantastic care Peyton has received from our staff has meant she is well enough to go home, allowing AJ to be reunited with his wife and daughter.”

What is the coronavirus?

The coronavirus is one of seven strains of a virus class that are known to infect humans.

Others trigger everything from the common cold to severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), which killed 774 people during its 2002/3 outbreak.

Since the coronavirus outbreak was identified, more than 2.5 million cases have been confirmed worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Of these cases, over 687,400 are known to have “recovered”.

Globally, the death toll has exceeded 177,500.

The coronavirus mainly spreads face-to-face via infected droplets expelled in a cough or sneeze.

There is also evidence it may be transmitted in faeces and survive on surfaces.

Although most cases are mild, pneumonia can come about if the coronavirus spreads to the air sacs in the lungs.

This causes them to become inflamed and filled with fluid or pus.

The lungs then struggle to draw in air, resulting in reduced oxygen in the bloodstream and a build-up of carbon dioxide.

The coronavirus has no “set” treatment, with most patients naturally fighting off the infection.

Those requiring hospitalisation are given “supportive care”, like ventilation, while their immune system gets to work.

Officials urge people to ward off the coronavirus by washing their hands regularly and maintaining social distancing.