Newborn baby boy is latest confirmed COVID-19 case in Central Visayas
By Minerva BC Newman
CEBU CITY — A newborn baby boy from Cebu City was the latest addition to the 203-total confirmed COVID-19 cases in Central Visayas, as of April 21.
with the cities of Cebu, Lapulapu and Mandaue having new confirmed COVID-19 cases daily since last week. Cebu City remained with the highest number of cases at 173, Lapulapu City with 13 and Mandaue with 9 cases.
According to Dr. Van Phillip Baton, medical officer of the Department of Health (DOH-7) Central Visayas Center for Health Development (CVCHD) the mother and the baby were both tested at the time of delivery on April 20 because the mother was symptomatic.
“Mother was found negative, but the newborn baby was positive, and both are in isolation, being closely monitored by the doctors. The mother can still breastfeed the infant,” Baton told Manila Bulletin in a Viber chat interview.
Pregnant women belong to a special group that are highly vulnerable or at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19. Baton added that the pregnancy makes these women vulnerable due to the increased demand on nutrition and lowered immune system status as the body accommodates the growing fetus, Baton added.
Based on DOH guidelines and protocols, all pregnant women are advised to stay home, avoid larger crowds and wear mask when in a setting with large crowds. Only those pregnant women with COVID-19 symptoms are tested and swabbed, Dr. Baton said.
According to DOH-7 Regional Director Dr. Jaime Bernadas studies have shown that transmission from infected mothers to newborn infants or vertical transmission was possible. The presence of a newborn case in the region needs further validation on how transmission occurred since the mother tested negative, he added.
Bernadas called on all pregnant women to continue monitoring themselves in these times that put them at a “more than usual” vulnerability.
“We encourage you to reach out to your care givers for any concerns that you may have,” Bernadas said.
For those individuals who are living with pregnant women, DOH highly advised them to exert extra care to prevent transmitting any infection to them by practicing proper hand washing, social physical distancing.
“Let us keep both mother and the unborn baby safe from COVID-19,” Bernadas stated.