SPECIAL REPORT | VOLUME 17/ISSUE 2, MARCH 2021

Neonatal SARS-CoV-2 infection: is this a vertical transmission?

Neonatal COVID-19, its manifestations and transmission, remains unclear. As the pandemic continues more evidence will emerge but so far, vertical transmission of COVID-19 is rare with just a few reports in the literature.¹ We share our experience of managing a preterm newborn with COVID-19 in our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) where the vertical route seems the most likely mode of transmission.

Femi Adeniyi
ST6 Paediatrics
femi.adeniyi@nhs.net

Sanjeev Rath
Neonatal Consultant
s.rath@nhs.net

Yewande Wey
MTI Fellow
yewande.wey@nhs.net

Arrowe Park Hospital, Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

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Keywords

mortality; counselling

Key points

Mortality risk varies greatly by day-of-life for extremely preterm infants.
Parents have a right to accurate and
up-to-date information, but it is unclear how this should be communicated.
Including changing mortality rates over time in regional and national information leaflets for parents of extremely preterm infants could be considered.