Reduced risk of newborns becoming infected if the mother has covid-19

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the Swedish Public Health Agency have investigated how things work for newborn babies whose mothers tested positive for sars-cov-2 during pregnancy or childbirth. The results showed that the babies of the tested mothers gave birth largely prematurely, but very few newborns were infected with the Coronavirus. The study published in the prestigious journal GammaIt supports the Swedish recommendations not to separate the mother from the child at birth.

The population-based study covers 92 percent of all newborns, or nearly 90,000 births, in Sweden during the first epidemiological year (March 11, 2020 to January 31, 2021) and thus constitutes one of the largest groups in this field to date.

The results show a slight increase in morbidity in newborns whose mothers tested positive for sars-cov-2, including an increased risk of developing respiratory disorders. Relationships can be explained almost entirely by the fact that women who have tested positive for childbirth often give birth prematurely. A direct link between maternal infection and respiratory infection or pneumonia cannot be seen among children.

A total of 2,323 babies were born to mothers who tested positive for sars-cov-2, and nearly a third of the mothers were tested near or shortly after birth. Only 21 (0.9 percent) children of the tested women tested positive for sars-cov-2 at any time during the neonatal period (the first 28 days), most were without symptoms, and few were cared for. Causes other than COVID-19.

The study supports the Swedish recommendations to Children of women Test positive for sars-cov-2 during pregnancy or childbirth It does not routinely need to be separated from the mother at birth. In many countries of the world, this separation is carried out as a precaution, although there is no evidence of this procedure.

Separating the newborn from the mother is a major intervention with negative consequences for both the health of the mother and the child, and must be weighed against any benefits. Our study suggests that mother and baby can be cared for together and that breastfeeding can be recommended without increasing risks to the baby’s health. This is positive news for all of the women who deliver, their babies, and staff in obstetrics and newborn care, says Mikael Norman, professor of pediatrics in the Department of Clinical Sciences, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institute, and one of the researchers responsible for the study.

The study was made possible by providing daily reports to three Swedish records: a pregnancy registry, a newborn registry, and an infection control register (Cement). SmiNet is a notification system that the Swedish Public Health Agency and district infection control units jointly monitor for more than 60 diseases that are under reporting under infection control law.

By coordinating the three different records, we were able to monitor and report results to newborns in real time, during the first and second waves of Covid-19, says Mikael Norman.

The research was funded by the Swedish Medical Association, NordForsk, the Stockholm region (ALF funds) and the Masonic Children’s House in Stockholm. Co-author Jonas F. Ludvigsson is leading a study commissioned by the Swedish IBD Quality Registry (SWIBREG), which received funding from Janssen. No potential conflict of interest was mentioned.

the post: Association of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy with neonatal outcomes.. Mickael Norman, Lars Navier, Jonas Soderling, Mia Ahlberg, Helena Hervius Askling, Bernice Aronson, Emma Bystrom, Jerker Johnson, Verena Singebel, Jonas F. Ludwigson, Stellan Hackanson, Olof Stefanson. Gamma, Online on April 29, 2021, doi: 10.1001 / jama.2021.5775.

For more information, please contact:
Mikael Norman, Professor and Chief Physician
Department of Clinical Sciences, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institute
Karolinska University Hospital
Phone: 070-0021007
e-mail: [email protected]

Bernice Aronson, investigator and medical professional
Vaccination Program Unit (EU-VP)And the Swedish Public Health Agency
Phone: 010-205 20 54, Mobile: 073-315 30 08
e-mail: [email protected]

Karolinska Institute It is one of the leading medical universities in the world with a vision to drive the development of knowledge about life and work for better health for all. In Sweden, Karolinska Institutet accounts for the largest share of medical academic research and has the largest body of medical education. Every year, the Nobel Society at the Karolinska Institute nominates Nobel Prize winners in Physiology or Medicine.