By Sharon Bernstein

(Reuters) – Adrian James is now at home. He was just days old when he was connected to a ventilator in a hospital because he had a serious case of COVID-19. His mother confirmed Tuesday that he has returned.

Tiffany Jackson wrote, “So so so, so, very happy,” and shared pictures of Adrian lying down and eating fries following more than a week spent breathing through tubes.

Adrian, who turns three in October, was taken by air to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital St. Louis (about 80 miles away from Mount Vernon, Illinois, his hometown).

Children below 12 years of age are not allowed to use vaccines that prevent COVID-19.

Jackson urges people who are able to get vaccinated to make sure others are protected. He also recommends wearing masks and physical distance.

Her doctor recommended that she not get the vaccine due to an earlier autoimmune reaction, which her doctors explained was caused by a flu shot. Adrian has already received one dose of the vaccine and is planning to receive the second.

Adrian, who is four years old at the time of this report, was one of over 860,000 American children to have COVID-19. Data from the CDC show that Adrian’s illness was not the first of many cases involving children younger than four years.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, only 1% of COVID-19-related hospitalizations are reported by children. Children account for 2.5% of COVID-19-related hospitalizations.