A premature baby, weighing only 1.3 kg at birth has recovered from COVID-19 after a month-long fight. According to the doctors treating the baby, the infection was most likely transferred to the baby from the mother
“The baby, who tested positive just after delivery, was released from the hospital yesterday. While there have been a number of cases when children born to COVID-19 mothers are not positive, in this case we think it was a case of transplacental transfer (infection was transferred from the mother to the child),” Sunita Saha, neonatologist at Fortis Hospital told The Hindu on Thursday.
The mother had prematurely delivered twins (31weeks) at a hospital in Salt Lake. The delivery required an emergency C-section. The mother had tested positive for the viral infection. After the death of one of the babies, the surviving twin was tested for COVID-19 and turned out to be positive.
“The baby was transferred to Fortis Hospital, Kolkata. At that stage the baby was having respiratory distress, needing oxygen and parenteral nutrition because the baby was not tolerating feed. Baby needed oxygen for almost 20 days,” the doctor said.
While under treatment, the baby was tested for COVID-19 on day 9 and day 16 and it was only on the 21st day that the baby tested negative. Dr. Saha said that after testing negative the baby showed post COVID-19 myocarditis, which is a disease of heart muscle. The baby was released only after recovering from the condition. “Post-COVID mycocarditis is seen in adults but in this case it seems that the child has developed it. We have another child with similar conditions,” Dr. Saha said, adding that COVID-19 is a new disease and the case has presented new aspects of the viral infection in children
