The Dunedin 9-year-old has a heart condition called hypoplastic left heart syndrome, which means the left side of her heart is small and under-developed.
That puts her in the category of those most at risk from Covid-19.
It also meant she was much more reliant on other people to keep themselves healthy, her mum, Catherine Lavender, said.
"Obviously she’s compromised already, so the risk of her developing it is a lot higher, and the outcome could be a lot worse for her."
They were being vigilant about hand-washing and staying away from anyone unwell.
If anyone in Ilah’s class at Tainui School became unwell, she would need to take some time off.
Miss Lavender learned of Ilah’s condition when she was 20 weeks pregnant.
Ilah had her first surgery at 3 days old, and she has had three open heart surgeries in total.
Just last week she had an operation to put a cardiac catheter in place.
Despite her challenges, Miss Lavender said her daughter was "an incredible girl".
"She’s very little, but what she lacks physically she makes up for with her gigantic smile and her sense of humour."
Also at high risk are the elderly, and those with immune disorders.
A Dunedin woman, who asked not to be named, who has "a host of autoimmune diseases" said she hoped people would be sensible.
"If I got it, I believe it would probably make my other underlying conditions much worse."
Grey Power Otago president Jo Miller said members did not seem overly worried about the risk of Covid-19.
But they were concerned about the amount of panic-buying going on at supermarkets.
"We’ve been through this. I went through the polio epidemic when you couldn’t go on buses and you couldn’t go to school.
"We’ve been through the SARS scare as well. I think it’s something we accept — it’s part and parcel of life.
"If we take the right precautions and do the right thing, then we’ll be safe."
