Newborn Babies May Get COVID-19 from Mothers, Scientists Warn

Scientists have warned that newborn babies may be at risk of catching COVID-19 from their mother during pregnancy. Chinese doctors studied four newborns who tested positive for the coronavirus just days after a Caesarean delivery. They were tested after they experienced mild coronavirus symptoms.

Pregnant at risk of coronavirus

Three babies had been isolated as soon as they were born because their mothers were tested positive for the virus before birth. The fourth mother and baby tested positive days later. Researchers said that they could not rule out that the babies had been infected with the virus while they were still in the womb through the placenta, although this theory has no direct evidence yet.

However, it is possible that the babies contracted the virus from the hospital, but the chances of this happening is low because of the special infection control measures in place at the time, according to the scientists. Pregnant mothers are included in the U.K. government's list of high-risk people who must be isolated and protected from the virus. It is a precautionary measure because scientists still does not know if the newborn babies are at risk of infection.

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Can babies be infected with the virus?

Dr. Zhi-Jiang Zhang of Wuhan University and lead author of the study said that COVID-19 is highly contagious and their study suggests that intrauterine transmission can't be ruled out, but that the prognosis is good for both pregnant women and newborn babies. There are a lot of papers that are looking into the COVID-19 in babies, but more research is needed to distinguish the risks.

Pregnant women all over the world are now worried about their health and the health of their babies. There is very little data available that talks about how the virus affects those who are pregnant. According to health officials, pregnancy changes a woman's immune system, which puts her at higher risk for severe complications if she catches a dangerous virus like the flu.

According to Dr. Roxanna A. Irani, M.D., Ph.D., the medical director of outpatient obstetrics at the University of California, San Francisco, a pregnant woman's risk for complications also increases if she has any underlying health conditions like lupus and diabetes.

Dr. Denise J. Jamieson, M.D., M.P.H., chairwoman of gynecology and obstetrics at the Emory University School of Medicine, said that at this point in the outbreak, women should not change their delivery plans based on the coronavirus. Hospitals are taking precautions to make sure that pregnant women are not exposed to ill patients and visitors.

Health experts have warned against women deciding at the last minute to give birth at home, it is because home birth requires months of education, planning and preparation. Hospitals across the U.S are actively revising their policies in order to estimate how many people can visit during labor and delivery. This is to make sure that social distancing is still being practiced.

According to Dr. Vincenzo Berghella, the editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology MFM, a lot of ob-gyns are changing the structure of prenatal care to limit patient, relative and staff exposure and to practice social distancing as much as possible. A lot of visits can be done by telehealth, which is through an app.

Health experts also suggest that pregnant women should have blood pressure monitors at home because it is helpful for visits. In this way, pregnant women can take a blood pressure measurement and report it to their provider.