- In 33 neonates at risk or with COVID-19, four of them presented with shortness of breath, thus being the most common symptom;
- Two positive neonates experienced lethargy and fever and one had vomiting;
- All of the three positive patients developed pneumonia as shown on their chest x-ray;
- One patient who needed 11 days of NICU following neonatal respiratory distress syndrome and pneumonia might have been symptomatic from prematurity and sepsis, rather than the virus;
- The clinical outcomes were favorable for all 33 neonates;
- It is important to highlight that symptomatology related to SARS-CoV-2 is non-specific. Diseases such as respiratory distress syndrome, transient tachypnea of the newborn or sepsis may have a similar clinical and radiological presentation.
Zeng, Xia, Yuan and al. conducted this cohort study by recruiting all neonates born to mothers tested positive for COVID-19 in Wuhan Children’s Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. They collected demographic, epidemiological and clinical features of 33 neonates, three of which were positive for SARS-CoV-2. They detailed the course of illness of these three babies and took a look at the outcomes.
Source:
Zeng L, Xia S, Yuan W, et al. (March 26, 2020). Neonatal Early-Onset Infection With SARS-CoV-2 in 33 Neonates Born to Mothers With COVID-19 in Wuhan, China. JAMA Pediatr. Published online. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.0878