CDC recommends that all babies born to COVID-19 positive or suspected mothers be tested for the infection
CDC recommends that all babies born to COVID-19 positive or suspected mothers be tested for the infection
- The CDC advises separating newborns from mothers who have confirmed or suspected cases of coronavirus
- Babies must be tested within the first 24 hours and can be reunited with their mother if the women test negative
- Infants do not have to undergo a negative coronavirus test to be released from the hospital
- Newborns are at greater risk of contracting a severe case of the virus because their immune systems are not yet fully developed and they have smaller airways
- Here’s how you can help people affected by Covid-19
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new guidelines on Wednesday, recommending that all babies born to women with confirmed or suspected coronavirus infections be tested for the disease.
While such cases are rare, infants are at greater risk of contracting severe cases of the virus compared to older children.
This is because their immune systems are not yet fully developed and they have smaller airways, which makes them more likely to have breathing problems.
However, very few studies have been conducted on the risks of babies, and doctors often make medical decisions based on anecdotal reports.
The CDC advises separating newborns from mothers who have confirmed or suspected cases of coronavirus. Pictured: Diana Garcia Garcia first holds her baby, Danaey, at Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital in Oceanside, New York, as her husband, Manuel Carchipulla, who tested positive for coronavirus, watches, April 28
Babies must be tested within the first 24 hours and can be reunited with their mothers if the women test negative (file image)
According to the CDC, newborns can become infected from respiratory droplets from their mothers during delivery or from exposure to sick staff or visitors after delivery.
There is currently no evidence that COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, can reach a baby through the umbilical cord.
The CDC recommends that babies be tested within the first 24 hours and isolated from other babies who have already tested negative.
Health officials also recommend that the babies be isolated from their mothers until the women test negative.
When newborns contract the virus, many experience the same symptoms as adults, such as coughing, fever, diarrhea, and shortness of breath.
But there have been some reports of babies being placed on fans.
In a Chinese study of 2,143 children with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases from late December to early February, more than 10 percent of infants had a serious or critical illness.
By comparison, the rates were seven percent for children one to five years old, about four percent for children between six and ten years old, and seven percent for children ages eleven or older.
The CDC adds that newborns don’t need a negative coronavirus test to be released from the hospital.
However, there is some fear that mothers who do have coronavirus may have premature babies to be placed in NICUs.
Early in the pandemic, two small studies found that half of all pregnant women infected with coronavirus deliver their babies early and can even transmit the disease to their newborns.
In one study, researchers from China examined 33 newborn babies whose mothers had COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus while she was pregnant.
Nearly 10 percent of babies – three of them – were found to have the virus, including one that required mechanical ventilation.
In the second study, which looked at 32 pregnant women from China and Hong Kong, researchers found that 47 percent delivered their babies prematurely.
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