Meet Telangana's youngest covid survivor
HYDERABAD: In a heartening news, a newborn boy, born to a Coronavirus- infected woman, won his battle against the virus after a 30-day struggle and in the process became one of the youngest Covid survivors in the State. The baby, who has since been discharged from the hospital and is hale and hearty, was born preterm on April 17, at 28 weeks of pregnancy, at the Yashoda Hospital, but was later admitted to KIMS Cuddles. The boy was barely a few days old, when he was put on ventilator support.
was discharged
from KIMS Cuddles
after recovering
The baby was discharged from the hospital on May 17, but the KIMS Cuddles announced it only on Sunday as the infant, though at home, was under observation. Speaking to Express, Dr C Aparna, a neonatologist at KIMS Cuddles, said: “The mother was already infected by Covid. However, there is no evidence suggesting that the Covid infection to the baby was an intrauterine transmission (mother to the infant) as the baby’s first RTPCR test, done within 24 hours of his birth, was negative. But, in the next few days, the baby’s oxygen levels started dropping and a repeat RTPCR test concluded that the neonate was Covid positive. So the possibility is that the baby naturally got exposed to the virus and got infected.”
“The case was challenging. However, our teams left no stone unturned to make sure that the baby defeated Covid and returned to the arms of his parents,” she added. Meanwhile, the mother Bala Monica, said: “As I was also in a critical condition for almost two days after the delivery, I did not even get to know if my baby is a boy or a girl. Once I got a little better, I was told that the baby tested positive. The situation was very horrifying for my husband and me. We have not even seen our baby after he was born. Only after he was shifted out of the ICU, were we able to see him for the first time. It was a very emotional moment for both of us.” The boy’s farther, B Rahul said: “At a time when we could not physically meet the baby, the doctors and their teams made video calls and kept assuring us that the baby will soon be with us. We grateful to them.”