CMO: Parents can stay with children with covid19

Children tested positive for coronavirus will have a parent or guardian with them at all times while they are being treated for the disease, says Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram on Monday.

Dr Parasram was responding to questions from Newsday Monday during a media briefing at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann's,

He said under paediatric guidelines, children were allowed to have a parent with them.

He said the parent would be equipped with personal protective equipment when in contact with the child.

"Once you are a paediatric patient you are allowed a guardian or parent to stay with you. Of course they will have to wear the necessary personal protective equipment while they are seeing about the child at all times."

He also pointed out that the parent will be a primary contact of the patient, "so they will be treated as a suspected case as well."

Last week the CMO said one of the current patients of the coronavirus was a child.

During the media conference the Prime Minister said the perception of the virus affecting only the elderly was flawed and urged younger people to use caution when venturing outdoors as they too could become infected.

"Some people tend to get the impression that this is an ailment that is largely only dangerous to older people. The answer to it is, if you look at who is being hospitalised, 45 per cent of those hospitalised are under the age of 60. So clearly we cannot determine that this is an old-people danger. We will fool ourselves if we take that position where the young people would be cavalier and endanger themselves and more older people. All of us are exposed and all of us can be carriers."

Parasram also confirmed among the ill there were several healthcare workers who contracted the virus from their interactions with patients.

"As you well know, we cannot give out details of particular cases, but all protocols are being observed in terms of the hospital. There is a policy in terms of how to isolate, how to quarantine; if there is exposure in the workplace, what sort of PPE to wear. So all those protocols are being followed."