Wakefield stepdad praises 'amazing' NHS after five-year-old's fight for life with Kawasaki disease

Scarlett Nicholas caught and recovered from a suspected case of Covid-19 in mid-March, but six weeks later was struck down by a rare inflammatory disease linked to coronavirus.

Up to 100 children in the UK have been affected and studies suggest the same reaction is being seen in children elsewhere in Europe.

It is thought to be caused by a delayed immune response to coronavirus which looks like Kawasaki disease.

Scarlett was on a ventilator at Leeds Children's Hospital, but has made huge progress in the past 24 hours, according to stepdad Piers Roberts, of Wakefield.

The five-year-old was admitted to Pinderfields with a high temperature and nausea, before quickly being transferred to Leeds.

Mr Roberts, a teacher and former nurse, said: "She was fine and well for six weeks and then this rare and new disease process stuck her down very quickly.

"It was an incredibly traumatic situation to go through, particularly with the international situation when you are nervous anyway - it is probably the most traumatic situation a family can be in - but the efforts of Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust and Leeds Children's Hospital have been amazing.

"They made us feel as comfortable as we could feel from the beginning.

"The speed at which Pinderfields picked this up was incredible.

"We believe it is a rare complication."

Scarlett is still in Leeds General Infirmary, but is out of intensive care and has been doing "amazingly well".

Her mum, Naomi, a stroke consultant, has been at her bedside.

Mr Roberts, who works for the Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT), said that trust between teachers, parents and the government was vital as the country's schools make plans for reopening - and called for an end to "finger-pointing".

"Teachers and parents must have trust in what is being said," he added.

"I know from my experience that teachers at OGAT are moving mountains to make things as safe as possible - but we don't know everything yet.

"Teachers want to teach and the rewards of school for children in social and emotional terms, let alone the learning, are so important.

"Getting them back to school, that is where the science and policy comes in and we have to take that and go with it.

"Parents trust school's with their children and this must be based on trust to get the best outcome for everybody."

On Sunday, senior Conservative minister Michael Gove said "yes" when he was asked if he could "guarantee" teachers will be safe when classrooms by the BBC's Andrew Marr.

He added: "I talked to the chief scientific advisor yesterday for the government, Patrick Vallance, and running through the figures - the R number, the rate of infection in the community overall - we’re confident that children and teachers will be safe.”

But when pushed on his claim, Mr Gove then admitted he could not guarantee all teachers would be safe.

He said "you can never eliminate risk" and added: "There is always, always, always, in any loosening of these restrictions, a risk of people catching the coronavirus."