According to a doctor specializing in gynaecology and obstetrics, pregnant women and infants are at a high risk of contracting coronavirus.  Even though there isn’t any evidence of direct transmission of COVID-19 infection in the womb i.e. not passed on to the newborn child from the mother automatically, the child is at risk of acquiring the infection immediately after birth.    

In a more detailed report, this doctor named Dr S. Padma shared with IANS that even though mothers are delivering via the normal procedure and caesarian, newborns have extremely tender immunity systems and they can get infected very easily.

Both the mother and the infant are at the same risk as the general population of getting infected, however with almost all hospitals now catering to COVID patients and the virus spreading rapidly, we would advise that eager would-be parents hold off trying to get pregnant till the situation becomes a little more stable. 

She also added that during these times pregnant women have to take much more precaution and have to maintain social distancing even with the family members to avoid contracting the infection. So, the stress and tension caused to pregnant women may affect their and their growing fetus’s health adversely.   

Overall the doctor has advised pregnant women to take extra precaution since they are at great risk of contracting the infection at the time of delivery. If they show any symptoms of Covid-19, they should immediately report to the hospital. And after the birth of the child, they must exercise necessary precaution while breast-feeding by constantly wearing a mask.     

H/T : IANS