A baby boy who was born three months prematurely has become the UK’s youngest COVID-19 survivor after beating the virus. SPUC has described the baby’s remarkable recovery as “a powerful witness to life”.
“This is a beautiful story of the will to live in a baby who should still have been in his mother’s womb at the time he was fighting off COVID-19,” said Eden Linton of SPUC. “Stories like this show us how strong a baby can be well before birth. Little Emmanuel is a powerful witness to life itself.”
Emmanuel Boateng, from Peckham South London, was born prematurely at just 27 weeks old. After his birth medics noticed Emmanuel was not feeding properly. He was rushed to King’s College hospital in London, where he then tested positive for Coronavirus.
“Praying to God that my little boy was going to be Ok”
Emmanuel’s mother, Evelyn Boateng, was told by medics to leave her tiny baby and go home to quarantine for two weeks.
Mrs Boateng said: “By then, the cases were just going up and up each and every day…
“I just stood there watching him and I was like ‘Emmanuel, mummy is leaving you. You are going to be alone but we will always be here in spirit.’
“In that first 24 hours, I was told to prepare for the worst three times. I was on my own in the hospital crying and just praying to God that my little boy was going to OK.”
Joy after two months in hospital
Emmanuel spent almost two months in hospital where he received support from a ventilator to help him breath and was administered the anti-viral drug, Remdesivir, which is more commonly used to treat patients with Ebola.
After almost two months in hospital, Emmanuel made a remarkable recovery. The tiny baby managed to fight off both the Coronavirus and sepsis. He is the youngest COVID-19 survivor in the United Kingdom.
Mrs Boateng said that she felt a great sense of joy when she returned to the hospital to be reunited with Emmanuel.
“A happy story among all the deaths at King’s.”
Emmanuel was discharged from hospital and returned home to enjoy life with his family on May 8th, the same date he was due to be born.
Staff from King’s College hospital lined the ward upon Emmanuel’s departure to clap him goodbye.
Mrs Boateng added: “It is something I will never forget. There was an enormous sense of relief that this was a happy story among all the deaths at King’s.”