Son speaks of shock after Sunderland mum diagnosed with coronavirus

It has been confirmed that one person in Sunderland has tested positive for the illness.

The Echo understands this is a woman from the Pennywell area.

And now her son has shared his shock after discovering his mum had become seriously ill from the condition, saying that she had not been abroad or had come into contact with anyone who had been abroad during the outbreak.

The family, who do not want to be named at this time, said their relative is receiving treatment at a North East hospital.

Two members of the family who saw the woman while she was unwell are also said to have been told to isolate themselves for 14 days.

Speaking to the Echo the patient’s son said: “My mum is very poorly in hospital at the moment.

“She went to hospital on Thursday gasping for air and by Friday her condition had deteriorated.

“She was put into an induced coma and placed in intensive care on Saturday.

“Tests were carried out at the hospital and then at 12pm on Sunday, doctors confirmed she had coronavirus.”

He continued: “She has not travelled whatsoever so we are all bamboozled as to where it has come from.

"She doesn’t work and is at home a lot.

“My dad and sister are in isolation at their homes, but me and my other sister have been given the all clear by Public Health England and just told to go about our day-to-day business.

“That’s the worst thing – the fact that we can’t see her because she is in isolation.

“But they have already started treatment using a new drug and she is stable.

“We are having to just ring the hospital for updates and its just a waiting game to see if the drug works.”

Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases were first reported in Hubei Province, China, in December 2019.

With more than 90,000 confirmed cases around the world and over 3,000 deaths, there have still been few reported instances of children contracting coronavirus.

When children have caught the virus, it has almost always been a mild version of it. There has not been a single reported death of a young child as a result of the virus.

Currently there is no evidence that children are more susceptible to the virus than adults. In fact, most confirmed cases of Covid-19 reported from China have occurred in adults.

Most of the children and teenagers affected in China presented mild symptoms at worst and recovered fully within two weeks.

Even infants, who will usually be more susceptible to respiratory illnesses, have experienced mostly mild infections.

However, premature infants and children with pre-existing health conditions are still considered to be at risk of developing complications if they are infected by the coronavirus.

Symptoms include fever and a cough that may progress to pneumonia causing shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

Anyone with symptoms should use the 111 online service, but should not visit a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.