18 NEWBORNS IN CAPITAL TESTED POSITIVE SINCE MARCH

NEWDELHI: At least 18 babies born to mothers suffering from Covid-19 in three Delhi hospitals since the first case was detected in March tested positive for the infection within a few hours to five days after birth. However, doctors ruled out that it was a case of transmission in the womb or vertical transmission.

Although, mother to child transmission in newborns could not be established, the doctors said this shows that the babies can get the infection soon after birth from the environment.

The highest number of deliveries — 86 cesarean sections and 124 normal deliveries — were handled at the 2,000-bed Lok Nayak hospital, the city’s biggest dedicated Covid-19 treatment facility, according to the medical director of the hospital Dr Suresh Kumar.

“All babies born to Covid-19 positive mothers are tested for the infection soon after their birth and on day five. So far, five babies have tested positive for the infection. Of these five, three were found positive on the day of their birth. Although this is suggestive of the baby getting the infection in-utero before birth, there is no evidence of vertical transmission from anywhere in the world. Globally, 0.5 to 1% of newborns have been found to have the infection,” said Dr Sangeeta Gupta, professor of gynaecology at Lok Nayak hospital.

Doctors from Ram Manohar Lohia hospital, however, said they couldn’t rule out vertical transmission in one of the three babies testing positive there.

The highest number of Covid positive babies were born at Safdarjung hospital, where over 100 Covid-19 positive mothers have delivered.