Ahmedabad: Only a quarter of 172 Covid moms' newborns test positive for Covid-19

AHMEDABAD: Several of the city-based women were in for a shock when they underwent Covid-19 testing before their planned child birth and tested positive. Many of them were asymptomatic but were from the containment zones and possibly contacted the viral infection through community transmission. In all, only 44 of the 172 children delivered of pregnant women in Civil hospital, SVP, Shardaben, LG and Sola Civil hospital have tested positive so far.

"One of the first questions the women ask is, whether their child would be safe," said Dr Amiya Mehta, head of obstetrics and gynaecology (obgyn) department at Civil hospital. "Figures in past two months show that we had carried out about 90 child deliveries where women were Covid-19 positive but only in less than 30% cases the children tested positive."

Likewise, at SVP hospital, a total of 70 deliveries of Covid-19 positive women took place, out of which 15 or 21.4% of the children tested positive, said Dr Parul Shah, head of obgyn department.

‘Mothers coping very well’

Out of all the women, only one had to be provided assistive breathing whereas others recovered very well on their own,” Dr Parul Shah, head of obgyn department at SVP hospital said. “Unlike infectious diseases such as swine flu, Covid-19 positive mothers are coping very well.”

Dr Ajesh Desai, head of obgyn department at Sola Civil hospital, said that out of 12 deliveries of Covid-19 positive mothers that took place at the hospital, none of the children have tested positive. “Pregnancy presents complexity in some cases as the condition itself is immuno-suppresent. If we can delay the procedures such as C-section for a few days, we delay it so that the mother can be treated for Covid-19 symptoms if any. But there is no option for emergency cases and we have performed the procedures with all precautions,” he said.

Experts said majority of the mothers - mostly in 20-30 years age bracket - were free of co-morbidities. Barring a few children, who succumbed to the infection, majority of the children also survived the infection. Dr Mehta said that the viral infection from mother to child is identified as vertical transmission and it requires thorough study. “Parameters such as when the child tested positive, when he/she tested negative, what complications did he/she develop and when the antibodies were developed need to be studied which is not being done in all the cases,” he said.