Maharashtra is the most affected by Covid-19 than any other state in India.
And, Mumbai alone accounts for more than 20,000 positive cases in the state.
In a fresh update from the state, COVID-19 infected pregnant women in Mumbai’s Lokmanya Tilak Hospital gave birth to 115 new babies.
All these babies are reportedly ‘healthy’. Three of them, who initially tested positive, were also cleared through necessary tests.
Two other pregnant women died, one before giving birth.
As the officials say, more than half of these babies were taken out through C-section, and the rest had natural births.
22 of these infected mothers were reportedly referred from other hospitals, and there is no clarity on where they got infected.
A medical team, comprised of 65 doctors and more than 24 nurses, has been taking care of these women in a 40-bed special ward.
However, the latest incident is now pushing the hospital to think of an additional 34 beds dedicated to infected pregnant women.
As the sources say, the deliveries are happening on more than six tables in different operation theatres with medical staff using protective gear.
“We are fortunate that most of the women who have tested positive are showing no symptoms. Some of them had a fever and reported breathlessness. We have treated them and sent them home after delivery,” says Dr. Arun Nayak, Head of Gynecology at the hospital.
As the doctor says, the carrying mothers are very concerned about the risk to their babies.
“There is a lot of anxiety among mothers. They keep telling us they might die but we have to make sure that the child is healthy,” adds Dr. Arun.
After the delivery, the infected mothers will be treated with Hydroxychloroquine and quarantined for ten days. While, they are supposed to feed babies by wearing masks.
At the Global Level
Chicago reported the first known death of an infant, younger than one year, due to Covid-19 infection in March 2020.
In another incident, a 6-week old baby died in Connecticut due to some complications related to the Coronavirus.
Earlier this month, a three-day-old baby also died of the infection after the mother tested positive in Wales.
According to Dr. Adam Ratner, Director of Pediatric infectious diseases at New York University School of Medicine, the Covid-19 transmission from mother to child is rare.
He, however, adds that “this is a rapidly changing situation and new data may arise”.
Dr. Ratner states that there are emerging studies that say the virus may be detected in placental tissues.
While there are instances of baby deaths in the fetus, experts say that could be because of other issues other than Covid-19.
“It is very important to continue to examine these questions and look at the outcomes of infants born to mothers with Covid-19, even if they are not infected in the womb,” Dr. Ratner adds.
