A Covid vaccination camp at Khadayata Bhavan Hall, Vile Parle(East), on Sunday
MUMBAI: Newborns infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus have a higher risk of adverse outcomes and death, a study by city-based doctors and scientists has found. The risk of sepsis was 4.09-fold higher and the need for a ventilator rose 3.67 times in infected neonates compared to babies who did not have Covid-19.
The findings are from a retrospective analysis of 524 babies born to Covid-positive mothers at BYL Nair Hospital between April 14 and July 31 last year. About 6.3% (33) of the 524 neonates were found positive for SARS-CoV-2 by the RT-PCR test. The clinical outcomes of the 33 babies were compared with 490 uninfected ones by experts from Nair and the ICMR-National Institute of Research in Reproductive Health in Parel. The study is one of the first to document how Covid impacts newborns. “The infected neonates are at a higher chance of developing complications and require intense management, but the