Coronavirus: Leicester baby who tested positive back home

A baby who tested positive for Covid-19 aged 11 weeks old has returned home and is "doing brilliantly", his mum said.

Ares Banister's mum Jodie feared for his life when he developed a high temperature and was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary last week.

He spent four days in hospital but she was told he could go back home to recover on Thursday.

Mrs Banister, 30, told the BBC hearing the news was "the best thing in the whole world".

"I was so so grateful that we were going to be one of the lucky ones," she said. "It was a massive relief."

She said she wanted to thank the nurses and NHS staff who looked after Ares and the family and made them feel "cared about".

"They were brilliant, they did everything they could for him," she said.

Ares was first taken to hospital on Monday of last week with a high temperature and high heart rate.

He spent a couple of days on a drip on a ward before he began to improve.

Mrs Banister said it had been an "awful, scary" experience but she knew Ares had reached a turning point on Thursday when he woke up smiling. He was allowed to leave that afternoon.

"I just cried when I saw that smile," she said. "He's doing absolutely brilliantly now.

"Still a bit of a sniffle, but nothing worse than a normal illness. I'm sure everything will be fine."

She said believed her son, who has no known underlying health conditions, picked up the illness from her husband Christian, a key worker in distribution for a supermarket.

Mrs Banister thinks her husband may have brought the virus back, without symptoms, despite all his efforts to avoid doing so.

She appealed for people to "just to stay at home" if they could.

"It's not just about you but the people you are affecting," she added. "Age doesn't matter."

The University Hospitals of Leicester said it was "delighted baby Ares and his family are back together at home".

"It's always a joy when a patient is well enough to be discharged," a spokesperson said.

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