Seven-year-old Artyom is in the hospital.

PER.

Bashlyaeva is already 23 days old.

Of these, he spent two weeks in intensive care. 

“The doctors actually pulled him out of the afterlife.

I hoped only on God and on doctors, on no one else, ”says Artyom's mother Irina.

It's quiet in their room, only the bubbling of an oxygen condenser can be heard.

Artyom is lying on the bed, flipping through TikTok videos on his smartphone.

He has an oxygen mask on his face. 

According to the woman, her son's lung damage when he was admitted to the hospital was 85%, now it is 75%.

Therefore, despite the positive dynamics, doctors assess his condition as critical.

“The doctors say that the difficulties arose due to the peculiarities of the health and postoperative state of Artyom - he has a congenital heart defect and Down's syndrome,” says Irina.

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A week and a half ago, Artyom was transferred from the intensive care unit to the infectious diseases department.

The latest coronavirus tests were negative, and Irina was allowed to stay with her son.

“With Down's syndrome there is an initial immunodeficiency, so the disease progresses much more severely,” explains Elena Rudikova, the boy's attending physician.

- With the help of resuscitation, we managed to stabilize Artyom's condition.

But he is a very difficult patient, even now he has not left the critical period. "

The disease is "rejuvenated"

According to Ismail Osmanov, chief pediatrician of the Moscow Department of Health, head physician of the Bashlyaeva Children's City Clinical Hospital, more than 100 young patients are now being treated in their hospital.  

“The first Russian minor patient with COVID-19 was also treated with us,” says Ismail Osmanov.

- This five-year-old boy flew in from Italy with his parents, and he was among the passengers who were diagnosed with the coronavirus.

At that time, no one knew what to do with the children, but even then our hospital was ready to accept small patients. "

Since then, according to Osmanov, the protocol for treating children has changed more than once, as it is constantly being improved.

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He notes that now the disease is "rejuvenated", even babies sometimes get sick with coronavirus infection.

At the same time, a children's coronavirus differs from an adult in the absence of clear signs of the disease.

“It proceeds under the mask of another viral infection, for example, intestinal one.

This reduces the percentage of early diagnosis based only on clinical signs, ”the doctor explains. 

“If a child has chronic diseases, which are a risk factor for a severe course of the disease, doctors call his parents and consult remotely.

If necessary, the child is invited for examination and treatment with virus-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies, which inhibit the multiplication of the virus and prevent complications, ”says the doctor.

According to him, for the entire time of the pandemic in the capital, more than 200 thousand children have had coronavirus.

9 thousand of them needed hospitalization. 

"I'm afraid to kiss"

Two-month-old Masha is one of the "youngest" patients.

In November, her entire family fell ill with the coronavirus.

And the girl herself developed an intestinal infection against the background of COVID-19.

An urgent resuscitation was required.

“For two days Marusya was without me,” recalls her mother Irina.

“All this time I could not find a place for myself, cried, although I understood that it was necessary for the child.”

Now Irina is in the ward with her daughter, and for safety net she wears a protective mask almost all the time. 

“I’m even afraid to kiss her.

And so you want!

After all, Marusa is very difficult: she is given droppers, injections and given medicines that she does not always like to taste.

And she smiles even when nurses and doctors visit her, despite the fact that they are in suits and only one eyes are visible, ”says Irina. 

According to the woman, she had to give up breastfeeding, since she herself is also being treated for coronavirus and is taking medications.

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At home Irina is waiting for her husband and eldest son, who carry the virus much easier.

“I am very tired, I would not wish this on anyone.

I don’t even remember when there was such a difficult time in my life, when the whole family was sick.

Now Masha's condition is improving, she is on the mend, although the tests are still positive, let's hope that we will go home soon, ”says Irina.

"Naughty means getting better"

Three-year-old Gabriel is now on the mend, he has no complications.

His dad Pavel hopes that they will soon be discharged and go home. 

According to Pavel, it all started with the fact that his son fell ill with scarlet fever - she was treated at home.

Then the child's temperature rose to 39.5, otitis media began.

“We passed the tests for coronavirus infection, and it turned out that the son, I, and my wife were all sick,” says Pavel.

“My wife stayed at home for treatment, but my son and I went to the hospital.” 

According to the man, this is not the first time he is in the hospital with Gabriel.

“Everyone wonders why not with my mother.

Well, I myself do not see anything wrong with that.

Children are a joint decision of two parents and responsibilities are also joint, ”explains Pavel.

The chamber in which Gabriel lies with his father looks like a real playroom: a construction set, toy cars, pencils, plasticine.

Senior nurse Natalya Sachkova notes: “When a child starts running around the ward and being naughty, this is a good sign, it means that he is recovering.”

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Ismail Osmanov believes that the surest way to break the chain of disease is to vaccinate adults, while there is no vaccine for children.

On November 24, Russia issued a registration permit for a vaccine against coronavirus infection for children from 12 to 17 years old.

The third phase of vaccine trials is now underway. 

“The main task of the first and second phases is, in fact, dose selection and safety.

Of course, there is information on the first or second phase.

A completely safe dose for children has been selected - this is 1/5 of the adult dose.

Children do not tolerate it well, but very well, "the deputy director of the N.N.

Gamalei Denis Logunov. 

“So far, the vaccine for children is at the stage of clinical trials.

The first two phases of testing have worked well.

High safety and ability to generate antibodies.

Now the third phase of vaccine research is underway, ”Osmanov summed up.