Six-month-old baby girl who already battled a heart condition and windpipe issues is diagnosed with coronavirus
- Six months old Erin Bates already underwent open-heart surgery in December
- Last Friday, she was diagnosed with coronavirus and has been on a ventilator
- Erin is in a stable condition at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool
- Learn more about how to help people impacted by COVID
With a full face mask and what looks like a pair of mini boxing gloves, this must be Britain’s toughest baby.
At six months old, Erin Bates has already beaten the odds countless times, having been born with a heart condition.
So it’s little wonder her parents believe their little fighter will pull through her latest setback.
Erin was born weighing only 5lb 4oz and with a condition which required open heart surgery.
Six month-old Erin Bates linked up to a CPAP machine in Liverpool’s Alder Hey Children’s Hospital as she fought coronavirus
She has also battled problems with her windpipe but, after months in and out of hospital, she stood a good chance of recovery.
However, last Friday, she was diagnosed with coronavirus.
Her parents, Wayne and Emma Bates, believe that Erin – conceived naturally after a decade of trying – can overcome the virus.
Mr Bates, 32, said he and his 29-year-old wife regard Erin as a miracle baby because of how long they had tried to conceive and the difficulties she has overcome so far.
The Toyota mechanic said: ‘We’ve been told before that there was a chance we were going to lose her. ‘She has beaten the odds so many times, we are positive she can beat this. Before this, her outlook was really good.’
Although Erin is in a stable condition at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool with her mother by her side, she requires a ventilator and is surrounded by wires.
She must also wear mittens to keep her from touching the equipment.
Erin’s first six months have been traumatic due to the discovery of a series of medical conditions, one of which required open heart surgery in December.
Erin Bates at a later stage in her recovery at Liverpool’s Alder Hey Children’s Hospital
In January, she also suffered respiratory syncytial virus, which causes bronchiolitis and pneumonia in babies and can be fatal.
Further conditions affected her airways. She was already in hospital when she contracted coronavirus.
In a Facebook post about her daughter’s diagnosis, Mrs Bates, a travel agent, wrote: ‘Both myself and Wayne are utterly heartbroken yet again that we are in a position where we may lose our little girl if she doesn’t carry on fighting.
‘Please, please, please keep Erin in your prayers. We can’t lose her over this virus. She has battled through too much – we need her, she completes us.’
Erin’s parents praised the staff at Alder Hey.
Mr Bates, who has gone home to Bury, near Manchester, where he must self-isolate after contact with Erin, said: ‘She is only alive due to the staff. I feel like the nurses especially have bought into Erin and have an emotional attachment to getting her better. They are looking after my wife and my girl, which is excellent.’
But he is appalled that members of the public are still flouting lockdown rules.
Mr Bates said: ‘People are still not taking this outbreak seriously and that upsets me. I take it personally.
‘Even before we went into lockdown, when we went into a supermarket we were anxious because our daughter is susceptible to viruses. But people still don’t seem to have any concept of personal space. It does upset both of us.’