Las Vegas family back home together after infant’s COVID-19 scare

The Andersons have been reunited following a COVID-19 scare that left a 9-month-old boy hospitalized and the family abruptly separated by quarantine requirements.

“He is so resilient,” Rachael Anderson said Monday of her son, Caleb. “He’s totally back to normal now and just continuing to develop and advance.”

Caleb was hospitalized before dawn on March 25 at Summerlin Hospital Medical Center with symptoms identical to those caused by the new coronavirus. By the time he and his parents arrived at the hospital, his oxygen level had plummeted, his temperature had spiked to 104.5 degrees and his airway had collapsed.

Because of Caleb’s symptoms, hospital staff had no choice but to place the boy and his mother under quarantine while the boy’s father sat at home alone, anxiously awaiting updates.

The next day, Caleb tested negative for COVID-19 but positive for hMPV, or human metapneumovirus, a respiratory infection with symptoms similar to COVID-19. Caleb, who had been hooked up to a ventilator, was given the proper antibiotics and was soon breathing on his own.

By March 30, Caleb’s doctors allowed his parents to take him home, where they remain quarantined for the foreseeable future.

His parents leave the house only when necessary and wear gloves and a mask anytime they set foot outside. When they return home, they immediately put their clothes in the washing machine, then shower before holding Caleb.

“It’s just what we have to do,” Rachael Anderson said.

Adults make up most known cases of the coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But to Caleb’s doctors and parents, such an unlikely test result seemed possible because of the boy’s complicated medical history.

Caleb was born at 34 weeks with an extra chromosome, and he had stopped growing inside his mom’s womb at 29 weeks. He suffers from a congenital heart defect, a compromised immune system and a chronic lung disease common in premature babies.

Frequently in and out of the hospital and doctors’ offices for routine checkups and other health issues, Caleb has a higher exposure risk to COVID-19 than the average infant, according to Rachael Anderson, who suspects her son’s recent scare won’t be the last.

Caleb will have to return to the hospital in early May for an essential surgery to address fluid buildup in his ears causing hearing problems and speech delays.

“It’s pretty nerve-racking,” his mom said. “It’s definitely the right decision and will hopefully help his immune system in the long run.”

For now, Caleb is back to his old self — smiling, laughing and sleeping through the night. And since he has been home, Caleb has even been eager to stand up on his own for the first time.

“We’re just really having fun with that,” his mom said. “Whenever he gets sick, we deal with regression. So it’s been really refreshing to see him improve.”

Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.