How a Durban hospital dealt with mom and new born baby diagnosed with Covid-19

By Sne Masuku 47m ago

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Durban - A woman and her newborn are reportedly doing well in isolation at home after the mother, who tested positive for Covid-19 on admission at the Ahmed Al-Kadi Private Hospital, subsequently gave birth to a baby who also tested positive for the virus. 

The hospital said on Monday that the mother was treated and had since been discharged from the hospital and was in isolation at home. 

Hospital manager Ebrahim Asmal said the woman was asymptomatic and did not meet any of the screening criteria as per the National Institute of Communicable Diseases and Health Department guidelines. 

However, in keeping with the hospital policy, all patients admitted must be tested for Covid-19.

 "It was confirmed that the patient (mother) was positive for Covid-19. The baby was subsequently tested and the test results returned positive for Covid19. 

"Both mother and baby were well and asymptomatic and subsequently discharged to self-isolate at home. They both continue to be in good health," said Ebrahim. 

He said the hospital ensured that Covid-19 positive patients were separately isolated, and that all health-care workers were provided with appropriate protective equipment in keeping with the policy and protocol. 

Hospital chairperson Dr Ayob Moosa said the facility was prepared to handle Covid-19 cases as they had the necessary resources. 

"We currently have three Covid-19 patients who were brought in from a nearby hospital and were taken directly to the high care ward. They are all recovering well. One will be discharged from the hospital soon," he said. 

Moosa said it was important for the status of a patient to be known on admission so they could be treated properly and for the necessary precautions to be taken. He said mothers due to give birth should have peace of mind that they would be protected from Covid-19 as the wards and theatres were sterilised after each procedure. 

Meanwhile, a New York mother, according to an AFP publication this week, met the baby she gave birth to for the first time early this month after being on a ventilator in an artificial coma due to a serious form of Covid19. 

The mother was intubated for 11 days in an intensive care unit before recovering "miraculously" to welcome her fourth child.

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