TAMPA, Fla. — A Hillsborough County mother said her 9-month-old son tested positive for COVID-19.
Anna Celis said her son, Samuel, developed a fever last week. He also has a mild cough and stomach aches.
She said she assumes the rest of her family may be positive for the virus, but they are waiting on test results. She has three other children.
"My husband got tested on Monday and we all got tested. It's a delay in the results, we're told it could take up to 10 days to receive the results," said Celis.
Celis said her husband has symptoms consistent with coronavirus.
"My husband has all the symptoms. He has stomach aches. He has asthma so he's having a really hard time breathing. He's coughing a lot. He has fevers," she said.
Celis said she is not experiencing any symptoms and her 13-year-old daughter also feels well.
Samuel's twin, Emilia, does not feel well. The twins were born prematurely.
Her son, Samuel, has a compromised immune system, he had open-heart surgery in March. He has a congenital heart defect known as "Tetralogy of Fallot." He also has a rare, genetic disorder that affects the liver called Alagille syndrome.
She does not know how her son contracted the virus.
"We're used to just being us or close family members and that's it. We protect him, life happens, you still have to go to work. He still needs to go to doctor appointments and the community spread is so large," she said.
She believes her family will recover, but she encourages people to wear a mask.
"We're lucky enough that this time it wasn't so bad and I hope it remains this way," she said.
"I may have the virus, but I don't have any symptoms and I may be a spreader. It's not fair for people like me or my son to suffer the consequences because you don't want to wear a mask," she added.
