Coronavirus US Update: Premature Triplets Born In Mexico Test Positive For COVID-19

Newborn triplets in Mexico have all tested positive for COVID-19, according to an "unprecedented" case report.

The babies were delivered prematurely on June 17 and unfortunately, on the same day, all 3 of them (two boys and a girl) tested positive for the coronavirus, reported BBC.

While one of the boys and the girl are in a stable condition at a hospital in San Luis Potosi state, the second baby boy is treated for a respiratory condition. According to a spokesperson for Mexico's health committee, this is the first-ever case to report COVID-19 in multiple births, worldwide.

“It would be impossible for them to have been infected at the moment of birth,” Fox News quoted the State Health Secretary Mónica Liliana Rangel Martínez.

The parents of the triplets, who might have been asymptomatic, are being tested for COVID-19.

A very small proportion of newborn babies have been reported to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 after birth. Experts believe that it would be impossible for them to get infected during birth.

Although the coronavirus infection in newborn babies is unusual, it is not something unheard of. Newborns can get infected after birth if they have close contact with an infected individual. Also, the coronavirus could be passed on in the womb from the mother to the child via the placenta.

Experts from Yale School of Medicine recently reported the first known case of placental infection with COVID-19. The risk to mother and baby is often low when the infection occurs. However, some reports suggest it might increase the likelihood of premature birth.

There is no evidence that the coronavirus could lead to miscarriages or if it affects fetal development. But as a precaution, pregnant women are advised to avoid social contact to lower their chances of getting infected. And if at all they do get infected, most of them would have a mild or moderate illness and recover soon. Babies might show no signs of COVID-19 at all.

Babies who contract the virus are likely exposed to infectious respiratory droplets from their mothers, caregivers, visitors, or health care personnel with the coronavirus infection after birth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) guidelines issued last month.

“Testing is recommended for all neonates born to women with confirmed or suspected COVID-19, regardless of whether there are signs of infection in the neonate. For neonates presenting with signs of infection, providers should also consider an alternative diagnosis to COVID-19,” said the guidelines.