Coronavirus: Mothers 'unlikely to infect newborns'

Women who have Covid-19 are unlikely to pass on the infection to their babies during childbirth if precautions are in place, a small study suggests.

Of 120 babies born at three hospitals in New York, none tested positive for the disease after being born to infected mothers.

The results appeared similar two weeks later after some had been breastfed and shared a room with their mothers.

Experts say the results are reassuring but larger trials are needed, BBC reported.

'Close contact'

Data on the risk of Covid-19 transmission during pregnancy and while breastfeeding is scarce, so recommendations for pregnant women and new mothers vary.

In the UK, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists suggests mothers should share a room with their babies and breastfeed if they wish, but with appropriate precautions.

Together with the World Health Organization (WHO), they say the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh the potential risks of Covid-19 spread.

Source:Daily Sun