THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Covid infection in newborns has increased though the situation is not serious, said doctors.
According to them, the increase is in proportion to the number of pregnant women with Covid and the overall spread of infection. While there were only a handful of Covid positive pregnant women delivering in the first wave, at least two such deliveries take place every day during the second wave.
“There is no direct spread from the mother to the newborn. However, they can get infected at a later stage. The infection in newborns is milder though breathing issues have been noticed in one or two cases,” said Dr A Santhosh Kumar, former deputy superintendent of Sree Avittam Thirunal (SAT) Hospital and a member of the Lancet — Covid India Children’s project, which aims to develop the protocol when kids are infected.
The later stage infection could be from the mother herself or from other family members. According to doctors, the number of newborns getting Covid positive five days after the delivery has increased.
“Vertical transmission between mother and child is rare. Hence, we promote breastfeeding even if there is infection. But the mother has to wear a mask while feeding. Otherwise, the child is kept two metres away from the mother. I have noticed kids getting infected after being discharged. This could be through other family members,” said state secretary of Indian Academy of Pediatrics Dr Balachandar D.
According to health experts, Covid in pregnant women has not complicated the delivery in most cases. “Covid is not a deciding factor for the method of delivery. It does not suggest a caesarian,” said Dr Balachandar. However, premature deliveries by Covid positive mothers with severe infection is not rare in hospitals such as SAT Hospital, which treats complicated diseases affecting women and children.
“The only connection between Covid and delivery is that the chances of premature delivery and the baby being born underweight are higher. If the baby is underweight, the stay in the hospital will be longer,” said Dr Santhosh. The health department’s guidelines mandate a swab test within 24-48 hours after delivery. If the result is negative, a retest has to be taken within 5-14 days. Due to practical reasons, hospitals usually conduct Covid test on newborns a day before discharging the mother and child.
“Hospitals have space constraints as the number of patients is increasing. So we discharge the mother and baby 3-4 days after normal deliveries. Besides, the hospital environment is not safe for them at the moment,” said a doctor.
What experts say