Baby born in Dallas believed to be first to contract COVID-19 in womb
FORT WORTH, Texas — Doctors at Parkland Hospital in Dallas reported the first baby in the U.S. known to have contracted the coronavirus while in the womb.
Baby Alexa Figueroa tested positive for COVID-19 less than 24 hours after being delivered six weeks early by mother Wendy Figueroa on May 2, according to Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV.
Doctors delivered the baby premature ly after Wendy Figueroa tested positive when she was 34 weeks pregnant.
“We immediately separated baby from mother. Mom was wearing a mask during delivery to reduce transmission,” said Dr. Mamarambath Jaleel, who runs the Parkland Neonatal ICU, told WFAA.
After baby Alexa tested positive, doctors tested the placenta, which also came back positive.
“Having the testing positive of the placenta, the most likely explanation was the transmission of infection was when the baby was in the mother's womb,” Dr. Jaleel said.
A day or two later, Alexa developed a fever and required supplemental oxygen, Jaleel told WFAA. According to Jaleel, 128 pregnant women at Parkland have tested positive for COVID19. Six of the babies later tested positive, but only Alexa got sick, Jaleel said.
Wendy Figueroa was unable to hold Alexa for three weeks after giving birth.
“I could not see my daughter. They took her from me. I could only see her from far away. I could not hold her. I cried,” Figueroa told WFAA. She cried for 20 consecutive days waiting to hold Alexa for the first time. While she waited, Parkland officials set up an iPad on Alexa's incubator during the day so that Wendy could watch her daughter.
“When I held my daughter for the first time at that moment nothing else mattered ,” Figueroa said.
Both mom and daughter eventually recovered from the coronavirus.