Babies born to mothers with Covid-19 have a low risk of infection, new research shows
The separation of newborns from mothers who have tested positive for Covid-19 is unnecessary in most cases. Representational image. | Kham / Reuters
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been great concern about how to protect the most vulnerable – particularly newborns. In past pandemics, newborn babies and young people have been at an increased risk of disease and death. This has probably influenced Covid-19 guidelines in hospitals and healthcare systems.
A recently published global survey found that newborns were being separated from their mothers in half the world’s countries last year as a precautionary measure if the mother had tested positive for Covid-19. Separating a baby from its mother at birth can have negative consequences for the health of both the mother and baby. This must be weighed against the possible benefits of keeping them apart.
Catching Covid during pregnancy poses a low risk to newborns grimsbytelegraph.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from grimsbytelegraph.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been great concern about how to protect the most vulnerable – particularly newborns. In past pandemics, newborn babies and young people have been at an increased risk of disease and death. This has probably influenced COVID-19 guidelines in hospitals and healthcare systems.
A recently published global survey found that newborns were being separated from their mothers in half the world’s countries last year as a precautionary measure if the mother had tested positive for COVID-19. Separating a baby from its mother at birth can have negative consequences for the health of both the mother and baby. This must be weighed against the possible benefits of keeping them apart.
Study finds low risk of infection in babies born to mothers tested positive for SARS-CoV-2
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the Public Health Agency of Sweden have studied newborn babies whose mothers tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy or childbirth. The results show that although babies born of test-positive mothers are more likely to be born early, extremely few were infected with COVID-19. The study, which is published in the esteemed journal
JAMA, supports the Swedish recommendation not to separate mother and baby after delivery.
The population-based study comprised 92 per cent of all neonates - almost 90,000 births - in Sweden during the first year of the pandemic (11 March 2020 to 31 January 2021), making it one of the largest datasets in the field to date.