Mumbai: Mulund newborn recovers five days after getting infected with Covid-19

Newborn admitted in Mulund-based Apex Hospital. Pic/Dr Dr Kaustubh Shah

Around 100 guests visited Savita and Uttam Zore's Mulund house to bless their newborn and be part of the naming ceremony. After three days, the newborn started developing Covid-19 symptoms. It was later revealed that lack of proper precautionary measures led the baby to come in contact to Covid -19.

While the parents thought that their child had a slight cold and ignored the symptoms, two days later, the baby's health deteriorated and he was admitted to Apex Hospital as the child developed breathing problems.

Speaking about the treatment of the newborn, Dr Kaustubh Shah, Pediatrician and Neonatologist at Apex Hospital, Mulund, says, "The baby was in a critical condition. His lungs were infected and was having difficulty breathing. We rehabilitated the baby in 48 hours by keeping him in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Newborns with low immunity are at risk of infection."

The baby overcame Covid-19 after six days of treatment and was discharged from the hospital. Before being admitted, the newborn was being treated by a local doctor for a runny nose, cough and breathing problems.

Dr Shah says, "A Rapid Antigen Test was conducted, but the results were negative as the baby was referred after four days of the initial symptoms. While he was responding well to the treatment, we were not able to come to a concluding diagnosis. His IgM blood test came positive, which is indicative that the person has been recently infected."

He adds, "The parents or his immediate relatives did not have a recent history of getting infected with Covid-19. Later on, the parents told us that over 100 relatives visited their house for the naming ceremony of the child and there were no precautionary measures taken. There is a possibility that an asymptomatic person may have attended the function and came in contact with the baby."

In infants, it is important to watch out for signs such as difficulty breathing and fast breathing.

The city's BMC-run hospitals, which have a huge number of delivery cases, haven't seen any Covid-19 cases in newborns this year, whereas the number ran quite high during the first wave.

Dr Swati Manerkar, the head of neonatology at Sion Hospital, says, "Even though the restrictions have been lifted, one must take precautionary measures such as wearing a mask and sanitising hands, so that babies don't get infected with the virus."