57 child patients of COVID-19 given special care in east China's Putian

A health worker collects swab sample from a girl for nucleic acid testing in Xianyou County, Putian City, east China's Fujian Province, Sept. 16, 2021.(Xinhua/Wei Peiquan)

FUZHOU, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A total of 57 children aged 12 or below have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in Putian City, east China's Fujian Province, accounting for more than 40 percent of the city's total number of confirmed cases.

These cases were reported from Sept. 10 to 15, during which period the city detected 129 locally transmitted confirmed cases, the city's COVID-19 prevention and control headquarters said Thursday.

Zeng Renhe, vice president of the Affiliated Hospital (Group) of Putian University, said if a child and his or her family are both infected with the virus, the hospital will try to arrange them into one ward.

To make the environment child friendly, the hospital has decorated treatment wards and corridors with cartoons and adopted a targeted treatment approach with nursing and support programs.

Nutritious meals have been provided free of charge for the children, with the nurses feeding and taking care of the younger ones.

Tu Jianhua, deputy director of the city's health commission, said the Fujian Children's Hospital has sent 22 senior pediatricians, 40 nurses, and experts on hospital infection management and psychological counseling to help with the treatment.