Babies will rarely catch the Covid-19 virus
In a study conducted by Oxford and Imperial Universities in London, published in “The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health”, all babies up to one-month-old who needed treatment during the first Covid-19 pandemic were examined in Britain in the spring of 2020.
The results showed that only 66 babies needed hospitalization and treatment due to severe Covid-19. The ratio was one baby per 1,785 births or 0.06% of the total newborns. Nearly half of the babies (45%) who developed severe Covid-19 belonged to minorities, while a quarter (24%) were born prematurely before the 37th week of pregnancy (higher than preterm births in the general population).
Only 17 of the 66 babies were suspected of contracting the coronavirus from their mother in the first week after birth. Seven of these 17 babies developed Covid-19 even though they were separated from their mothers shortly after giving birth. Six babies are estimated to have been infected with the coronavirus during their stay at the clinic. Finally, no babies died from Covid-19 and almost all recovered relatively quickly.
Dr. Thanos Paraschos commented on this study: "Although we know that coronavirus infects adults more often than children, nevertheless, children can be infected and spread the SARS-CoV-2 virus even if they do not show symptoms. Of course, most children will only have mild symptoms or be completely asymptomatic but in some cases they may need respiratory support and be admitted to the hospital.
The main symptoms of Covid-19 in babies are high fever, difficulty in eating, vomiting, runny nose, cough, and lethargy. Children under one year of age and children with underlying diseases such as bronchial asthma, diabetes, genetically inherited diseases, neurological and metabolic diseases, heart disease, immunosuppressive diseases, and obesity have an increased chance of serious illness.
It is also worth pointing out that if a mother tests positive for coronavirus, her baby does not need to be separated from her. In fact, it is especially important that mothers with Covid-19 have the opportunity to breastfeed their babies. Breastfeeding milk is known to protect babies from numerous pathogenic microorganisms and can also help newborns to shield themselves from getting infected with coronavirus infection. After all, most studies have not found the virus in breast milk, and on the other hand, it has been found to contain antibodies against the coronavirus.
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