Novel Corona Virus Pandemic and Neonatal Care: It’s Too Early to Speculate on Impact!

Kalyanasundaram, Sridhar; Krishnamurthy, Kandamaran; Sridhar, Aparna; Narayanan, Vidya Kanamkote; Rajendra Santosh, Arvind Babu; Rahman, Sayeeda

The entire world is reeling under the effects of the novel corona virus pandemic. As it is a new infection, our knowledge is evolving constantly. There is limited information about impact of corona virus on neonatal care in relation to newborns with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. In this article, we summarize the current approach to this infection in relation to newborn babies. We discuss the basic aspects of the infection, the approach of care to novel corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in positive pregnant women, the likely presentation in newborns (as per current knowledge), and the approach to the management of neonates with infection or at risk of the infection. Children are less susceptible to COVID-19 infection and generally have a mild course. There is a lower risk of severe disease among pregnant women and neonates. It was recommended to follow the current protocols for management of symptomatic newborn with isolation precautions, antibiotics, and respiratory support.