A newborn baby in Cebu City tested positive of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Health authorities, however, said it is a “unique” case as the baby’s mother was not infected by the deadly virus.
“The presence of a newborn case in the region needs further validation on how transmission occurred since the mother tested negative,” Dr. Jaime Bernadas, Department of Health (DOH)-Central Visayas regional director said.
Bernadas explained there are researches that a “transmission from infected mothers to newborn infants” is possible or what they call “vertical transmission” in medical science.
“Pregnant women belong to a special group that is at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 compared to non-pregnant women,” Bernadas said, explaining further that “their pregnancy makes them more vulnerable due to the increased demand on nutrition and lowered immune system status as the body accommodates the growing fetus.”
Bernadas reminded the pregnant women to stay at home, avoid crowds, and wear a mask in public places.
“Rest assured, existing protocols are in place. We call on all pregnant women to continue monitoring themselves in these times that put them at a more than usual vulnerability,” Bernadas said.
Also read: PH’s youngest COVID-19 fatality is 29-day-old baby, DOH confirms
Newborn in Cebu infected with coronavirus
The director also advised those who are living with pregnant women to “exert extra care to prevent transmitting any infection to them by practicing proper handwashing, social or physical distancing and not going near them if you are not feeling well.”
“Let us keep both the mother and the unborn baby safe,” he said.
Bernadas also advised the public “not to treat those who are at risk or have been diagnosed with COVID-19 with discrimination.”
On April 14, the Department of Health confirmed that a 29-day-old baby boy from Batangas province was the youngest COVID-19 fatality in the country.
In Mindoro, the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Oriental Mindoro province is a 21-month-old baby.
WHO, meanwhile, still does not know if a pregnant woman with COVID-19 can pass the virus to her fetus or baby during pregnancy or delivery. To date, the virus has not been found in samples of amniotic fluid or breastmilk.