Birth outcomes for infants born to mothers with COVID-19 at a tertiary care hospital in Telangana

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has primarily affected adults of higher age groups, and the effect of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) appears to be less severe in infants and neonates. This study aims to evaluate the clinical manifestations, management, and short-term outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 neonates born to mothers with COVID-19 in a tertiary care hospital in Telangana, India.The study is an observational study of neonates born to COVID-19-positive mothers delivered at Gandhi Hospital, Hyderabad, Telangana from 1st July 2020 to 31 May 2021.Infection with SARS-CoV-2 was detected in 2.06 percent of neonates born to covid positive mothers. About 12.5% of those were symptomatic, with respiratory distress syndrome as the most common clinical manifestation. Symptomatic treatment was usually effective, and most neonates were discharged.The COVID-19 virus rarely affects the fetus during pregnancy and has low neonatal mortality, but is associated with adverse neonatal morbidity. Vertical transmission has not been observed in the majority of reported cases. A COVID-19 vaccine provides the best protection against the known risks of pregnancy for women and babies, including admission to the intensive care unit and preterm birth.