NEW DELHI: The wife of a senior resident doctor at the AIIMS who has tested positive for COVID-19 delivered a baby boy on Friday. The woman, who had been shifted to an isolation ward, delivered the baby at the institute. The resident doctor, who has also tested positive for the coronavirus, is associated with the physiology department of the AIIMS Delhi. The doctor, along with his wife and brother, tested positive earlier this week. The woman, in her twenties, was in 39 weeks of her pregnancy. The couple has a daughter too.
“Both the baby and his mother are doing well. The child has still now not shown any symptom but is being constantly under observation. We haven’t conducted any test yet on the child, will do only if he shows any sign,” said Neerja Bhatla, the acting HOD, department of obstetrics and gynaecology, one of the doctors present at the surgery.
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A team of 10 doctors from different departments, including Dr Aparna Sharma, Dr Garima Khadgawat, Dr Ramesh Agarwal (neonatologist), Dr Rajesh Kumari and Dr Parul for C-section, Prof Rajeshwari and Dr Anjolie Chhabra from Anaesthesia, was formed to look after the woman. The decision was taken on Friday morning to get the delivery done, officials said. For the delivery, the isolation room was turned into an Operation Theatre (OT).
“The child has been kept with the mother and breast-feeding is also being done since it has no direct connection with the COVID-19 virus,” Bhatla said. “It was a challenging task because a lot of factors had to be considered. But it was already decided that the baby will be delivered at the AIIMS. The lady was asymptomatic and, therefore, we had decided not to waste time. Had she shown symptoms like a respiratory problem, it could have been a difficult job.”Setting up the OT was another challenge for the team as it was not easy to get all the logistics in the room.
Mother, son stable
Both the mother and the baby are doing well for now, said doctors attending on them. Infant will be tested for COVID-19 only if any symptom arises