A one-year-old girl suffering with a chronic lung disease and a congenital heart defect has become one of the UK’s youngest coronavirus survivors.

Leah Peters was taken to the emergency department at Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital, Lincolnshire, after she developed a cough and had low heart stats at the end of March.

She was given oxygen support and later tested positive for Covid-19. Despite her parents, Agata and Michael Peters, worrying what might happen if Leah caught the virus, they said she ‘surprised us all’ by being well enough to be discharged the day after her results came back.

Speaking after her return home, Leah’s mother said: ‘A few weeks ago we noticed that Leah had a bit of a cough, but living in a house with us and her two older sisters, Natalie aged four and Emily aged five, we assumed it was a cold or another bug they had brought home and were not overly worried.

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‘Because of Leah’s heart condition we have a nurse come to visit her at home every week.

‘The nurse took her stats and as they were a bit low and combined with the cough she called an ambulance and we were taken to the emergency department at Pilgrim Hospital where she was given oxygen and she picked up a bit.’

She continued: ‘It was only later when we were on the ward that we heard that she had tested positive for coronavirus.

‘We really were surprised. Because of Leah’s existing conditions we had talked about coronavirus and feared if she caught it she would really struggle.

‘But she is a little fighter and has surprised us all. She was sent home the day after we received the test results and is doing really well at the moment.’

Leah has spent much of her life going in and out of hospitals for operations and treatment after she was born prematurely at 32 weeks and five days. This led to her developing a chronic lung disease from birth, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust said.

She is set to have further surgery in the summer to combat her congenital heart defect.

Speaking about the treatment her daughter had received, her mother added: ‘All of the NHS staff have been amazing. Even through all of the protective personal equipment (PPE) they have to wear, they have been so sweet and caring.

‘We couldn’t have asked for any more from the team at Boston. Thank you just isn’t enough, it doesn’t describe how grateful we all are.’

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust deputy chief executive Mark Brassington said: ‘Staff across the NHS and social care in Lincolnshire and across the country are going above and beyond, doing everything they can to care for patients like Leah.

‘It really does lift all of our spirits to hear how well she is now doing.

‘Leah is among more than 130 patients diagnosed with coronavirus who have already been able to leave our hospitals to continue with their recoveries.

‘Our message to everyone reading Leah’s story is thank you for supporting the NHS and doing your bit by staying home. It really is making a difference so please keep it up.’

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