THORNTON, Colo. — A 16-month-old tested positive for COVID-19, making him one of the youngest patients in Colorado to contract the virus.
His mother is speaking out to show COVID-19 doesn’t discriminate.
Ivan Paez was born healthy. He’s an energetic boy who loves spiking his hair and chasing after his brothers.
“He’s such a happy baby. He’s always running around, laughing,” his mother, Crystal Medrano said.
But suddenly, the playful 16-month-old became very sick.
“It started with a runny nose and a cough, then wheezing and then more of a cough and trouble breathing and high fever,” Medrano said.
Medrano rushed him to the hospital, fearing he may have COVID-19, but she was told that her son just had the common “croup.” The medical staff then sent them home.
Ivan’s fever hit 104 the next day and Medrano refused to give up on getting answers.
“I called so many testing places, so many hospitals and they’re like, ‘Sorry, we can’t. We’re saving the test for the elderly – he’s a child,'” Medrano said.
Medical staff were likely skeptical because Ivan is just one of 123 children in Colorado under age 9 to contract COVID – that’s one percent of all cases. Call it mother’s intuition, Medrano pressed on until ultimately National Jewish Health administered the test.
“We cried and prayed and just held him, held onto him and cherished him for the time we were home because we didn’t know what the future was going to hold for us,” Medrano said.
The test results came back positive for COVID-19. Ivan received medical attention, Tylenol and then home isolation. He is now back to his old self.
FOX31 asked Medrano, “Where would we be if you weren’t such an advocate for your son to get him tested?”
Medrano said, “Honestly feel like we would have lost our son, because we never would have known what was really wrong. We wouldn’t have gotten the antibiotics and medical attention.”
Medrano isn’t sure how her son got COVID-19.
“It’s a mystery. We weren’t around anybody who has it, or anyone who was exposed. I mean, we went to the grocery store and that’s literally all we were doing.”
While Colorado models show a COVID infection plateau, Medrano wants to stress the importance of remaining socially distant, no matter the challenges it brings.
“It doesn’t matter who you are or what age you are, you could get it. You’re not immune to it and you could be carrying it to other people.”