LANCASTER, N.Y. (WKBW) — The parents of one-year-old Mia Krezic say she is showing some of the symptoms of COVID-19 and they want to get her a test. Days later she has not been tested and her parents what to know why.
"When we had Mia she was born with down syndrome. Now I’m afraid that if she does have it they’re going to catch it to late and something’s going to happen to her," said Dennis Krezic, Mia's father.
Mia's mother is a nurse at ECMC in a COVID-19 unit. Mia had all the symptoms, a cough, a 104 degree fever and nausea. They called their family doctor and took her to Oishei Children's Hospital for immediate care. Doctors said they would not test her.
"She said we have limited amount of tests and we’re only testing at this time first responders and people that are deadly sick. Essentially what they’re saying is 'hey you have to be pretty much dying to get tested'," said Krezic.
Her fever is now down to 101 degrees, but Krezic is still reaching out to the Erie County Health Department for assistance. He wants to know who qualifies for testing.
7 Eyewitness News reached out to the county for this information. According to Erie County testing protocol, you must have a fever and a cough or shortness of breath to get a test.
The following groups have priority:
- Healthcare workers
- First responders
- Those who work in congregate settings (long term care facilities, DOCCS, prisons, shelters, group homes)
- Those on dialysis or infusion therapy
“If somebody is COVID-19 positive and they’re not an essential employee there’s nothing new or different we would do with them. So we should treat everybody as though they could be at risk for COVID-19,” said Dr. Gale Burstein, Erie County Health Commissioner.
County Executive Mark Polancarz thinks people are focusing on testing too much.
“We have additional test kits coming in, but test kits don’t prevent COVID-19, what prevents COVID-19 from being spread is people following the rules staying home, stopping the spread to save lives," said Polancarz.
The Krezic family is considering traveling out of state to get Mia a test.
If you are sick, here are the CDC guidelines on what to do. If you are caring for someone who is sick, here are CDC guidelines on what to do.
