There is relief for the family of two-year-old Amari John, after the infant and his mother were discharged from hospital where they had been battling COVID-19.
Last Thursday, Guardian Media reported that both mother and son were admitted to the Couva Medical and Training Facility after Amari became severely ill.
Given the nature of her son’s rare genetic disorder, known as Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome, Rachael Seales said she was not comforted by the low risk of death the disease posed to children.
Amari’s life-threatening condition is characterised by eczema, thrombocytopenia (low platelet count), immune deficiency, bloody diarrhoea and brain haemorrhaging.
Seales said yesterday that while they were still COVID-19 positive, their conditions had improved and was grateful that her son was on the road to recovery and inching closer to the bone marrow transplant he is in desperate need of.
“Amari is doing so so much better. He is good, he is running about, he is recovered. He doesn’t have any symptoms. The only symptoms he had was fever and vomiting on Tuesday. Other than that he has no symptoms.”
But, according to Rachael, another COVID-19 obstacle stands in their way, as one of the final hurdles they must cross before Amari receives his treatment at a medical facility in Germany is getting an EU-approved vaccine.
Currently, the Government has procured and made accessible the Sinopharm vaccine. In a recent statement, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said the remaining supply of AstraZeneca, which are EU-approved, has already been allocated as second doses.
“We have had so many hurdles and the least amount we can get going forward would be good, so if there is a possibility for us to have the AstraZeneca or one of the other vaccines available to enter Europe, if that could happen we would be so happy,” Rachael told Guardian Media.
Rachael and her husband thanked the public for their support during her son’s latest health ordeal.