"COVID-19 Infected Mothers Share Hospital Rooms with Newborns... Vertical Transmission Rare"

National Medical Center Research Team Conducts Study on 34 Mother-Newborn Pairs
"Rooming-in Will Reduce Ward Overcrowding Burden"

A proposal has been made to have mothers confirmed with COVID-19 and their newborns share the same hospital room. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Se-eun] A proposal has been made to allow mothers infected with COVID-19 who give birth while hospitalized to stay in the same room with their newborns instead of separating them.

The research team stated that 'vertical transmission,' where the virus is passed from mother to fetus, was rare even when the mother was infected with COVID-19.

On the 8th, the National Medical Center disclosed the research results of Professor Choi Yoon-young's pediatric team in the Journal of Korean Medical Science (JKMS).

The study covered 34 COVID-19 positive mothers and their newborns who gave birth at the National Medical Center over one year from December 2020 to December last year, making it the largest sample size reported in Korea.

All 34 newborns born to isolated mothers tested negative for COVID-19 at both 24 and 48 hours after birth. This indicates that there were no cases of 'vertical transmission' during pregnancy, meaning no newborns were born infected with COVID-19.

The newborns maintained good health, with no additional positive diagnoses even one week after discharge.

The mothers were aged between 33 and 38 years and none had received a COVID-19 vaccine. Symptom severity included 13 asymptomatic or mild cases, 14 moderate cases, and 7 severe cases.

The median gestational age of the newborns was 38.3 weeks, with a total of 6 preterm infants born before 37 weeks.

None of the newborns required resuscitation such as chest compressions or medication.

The research team stated, "Intrauterine infection of COVID-19 is extremely rare, and with appropriate preventive measures, the possibility of postpartum transmission is also low," adding, "Regardless of whether the newborn is isolated from the mother immediately after birth, the likelihood of airborne COVID-19 infection in the newborn is small."

They further explained, "Rooming-in (mothers and newborns sharing the same hospital room) could reduce the burden of overcrowding in hospitals."

Until now, according to guidelines established by the Korean Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases in 2020, newborns born to confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients were considered 'suspected cases' until test results were confirmed. Therefore, newborns born to COVID-19 positive mothers were initially subject to isolation.

However, organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the United States, and Canada have recommended rooming-in, considering the benefits of skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding between mother and child.

However, not all mothers and newborns can share the same room.

It is a prerequisite that the mother is a mild case who does not require respiratory support devices and is in a stable condition with a body temperature below 38 degrees Celsius.

The research team claimed, "Most newborns over 35 weeks gestation were healthy enough for rooming-in," and argued, "Changing policies would help resolve the shortage of neonatal isolation facilities caused by COVID-19."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.