Newborn In London Tests Positive For Covid-19, What Pregnant Women Should Know About Coronavirus

One of the youngest documented cases of Covid-19 has reportedly surfaced in the U.K. According to reports, a newborn baby recently tested positive for coronavirus at North Middlesex Hospital in London, only minutes after it was born.

The child’s mother was admitted to the hospital a few days before giving birth after showing symptoms of pneumonia. She later tested positive for coronavirus. It is unclear at this time if the child contracted the virus in the womb or after it was born.

The mother has been moved to a different hospital for specialist treatment, while her child has remained at North Middlesex. At least one other patient at the hospital has tested positive and is currently being held there in isolation.

“The safety of our patients and staff is our top priority,” the hospital said in a statement “So in following guidance from Public Health England, we are regularly deep cleaning the areas where the patients are cared for and staff who were in close contact with these patients were advised to self-isolate.”

Despite this case, medical experts have stated that pregnant women should not fear for the unborn child’s safety. For now, there is no clinical evidence that coronavirus can spread in the womb or through breast milk. There is some evidence suggesting that coronavirus can have certain adverse effects on newborn infants, including premature birth, but not enough to conclusively link them to the virus.

Pregnant women are nonetheless considered to be high-risk patients for respiratory infections like the flu or SARS. Therefore, these women are considered to be at risk for severe mortality from Covid-19.

According to the CDC: "We do not currently know if pregnant women have a greater chance of getting sick from COVID-19 than the general public nor whether they are more likely to have serious illness as a result. Pregnant women experience changes in their bodies that may increase their risk of some infections. With viruses from the same family as COVID-19, and other viral respiratory infections, such as influenza, women have had a higher risk of developing severe illness. It is always important for pregnant women to protect themselves from illnesses."