The first baby infected with COVID-19 was born in Šiauliai: a representative of the hospital told how he feels

V. Aleksandravičienė recalled that the infected newborn was born to look healthy, weighing about 3.5 kg, and his health condition did not initially arouse suspicion.

When asked how the baby was feeling, the hospital spokesperson was glad that he was already home.

“We leave it at home for 4 days. The feeling was really good. We were surprised that they were positive tests. We did a repeat and we have two positive tests so the infectivity is really guaranteed, there was no wrong answer.

The first day we were a little uncomfortable because a little [naujagimio] the nose was swollen, there was some discharge. This involved an increase in the ability to monitor him for a couple of days, more frequent monitoring of respiratory function, and a general assessment of the condition every 8 hours.

But we did it without some serious complications, problems. By the third day, the condition was stable. We saw him one more day and after 4 days they both went home with my mother ”, recalled V. Aleksandravičienė.

In the woman who gave birth, the coronavirus was detected only in the hospital. According to V. Aleksandravičienė, the mother did not have any symptoms of coronavirus.

According to V. Aleksandravičienė, rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are performed in newborns at this time, when the response is received after a few hours.

“They really don’t work for all newborns. In accordance with all our valid protocols, we only test mothers of COVID-positive newborns and then consequently sometimes others who stay longer in hospital due to certain health problems, ”explained V. Aleksandravičienė.

The representative of the Republican Hospital Šiauliai assured that the hospital is perfectly prepared to receive mothers infected by coronavirus, of which there were already several.

“We have been ready since the first quarantine, there are specially prepared isolation rooms. If everything goes well, the mother is with the child in the room in all cases. If there were occasional health problems, we have several incubators in the neonatal room that they are ready to be serviced separately.

The hospital is really ready: we have mothers in isolation and then postpartum wards, where these children and mothers are cared for ”, explained V. Aleksandravičien, adding that so far no mother has been separated from the child.