A 13-year-old boy has been left fighting for his life with coronavirus after developing inflammatory symptoms including bloodshot eyes and rashes.
Lewis Greig, from Torry, Aberdeen, has been on a ventilator at the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, after he fell ill last week with a high temperature.
Mother Karen Simpson said the family had been assured he did not have COVID-19 as he did not have a dry cough. But Lewis's condition worsened with other symptoms, including a measles-like rash, red swollen eyes and vomiting.
It comes after the NHS warned there was 'growing concern' a coronavirus-related inflammatory syndrome was emerging. Medics have been told to be mindful of symptoms like Lewis's, which could point towards a type of toxic shock, known as Kawasaki disease.
Lewis was admitted to hospital in Aberdeen before being transferred to an intensive care unit in Glasgow, where he tested positive for the virus.
Lewis is in a critical but stable condition and is showing signs of improvement, although his family must wear protective equipment while visiting.
Ms Simpson spoke about Lewis's ordeal to warn parents that children with COVID-19 can show different symptoms to adults
Ms Simpson, who is currently staying in a Glasgow hotel to be close to her son, with Lewis's father Wayne, 47, said: 'It all started last Saturday when we discovered he had a temperature. It was really high - about 40.5 degrees.
'At first we didn't think it was anything too major. We assumed he had a bug and that it would pass.
'On the Sunday though, things weren't any better and Lewis started to get progressively worse as the week went on.
'He started being sick, had a sore head and was really tired. We'd already been on the phone to the COVID-19 hub on 111 and they said to make sure he was drinking - if they needed to admit him they would.
'By Thursday, he had developed a measles-like rash on his hands and his eyes went deep red and bloodshot.
'On Friday morning, he woke up in a bad way. We phoned the doctor, who had a quick look at him and they phoned the sick kids' hospital.
'We took him up straight away, and when we got there, he couldn't walk from the car into the building.'
Within hours of being taken to hospital, Lochside Academy pupil Lewis had been put on a ventilator to help him breathe.
And in the early hours of Saturday, he was transferred to Glasgow by ambulance.
Ms Simpson said: 'I have never seen anything like it before. It was so scary. The first few tests they did came back negative for COVID-19. But then they did another one and that came back positive on Sunday night.'
Ms Simpson now wants to make other parents aware of tell-tale signs which may show children are suffering from the virus.
She said: 'I want to help other parents understand how to spot it. They might show some really strange symptoms which aren't fitting with the normal coronavirus symptoms. Make sure you get them checked and keep pushing to have them tested
One of the doctors said to us children don't present with a dry cough like adults do. In children, there's an inflammatory reaction which makes it look like an autoimmune disease.'
Lewis, who is a brother to Nathan, Sam, Abby, Jorja and Eli, is now showing small signs of progress - and his family are determined to help him pull through.
Ms Simpson said: 'Lewis is now making small steady steps towards getting better, although he is still having to have quite a lot of medication and is still on a ventilator.
'He's able to move now and knows when we go into his room, although we can't have very much contact with him and need to wear PPE.
Credit:-dailymail
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