Vijayawada: 7-day-old baby boy recovers from Covid

Vijayawada: Adults and children have so far been affected with deadly Covid-19 in the State. There are no reports of infants and days-old babies getting infected with the coronavirus.

The first case in Andhra Pradesh of a seven-day-old baby boy contracting Covid was reported in Vijayawada.

The infant was admitted to Andhra Hospitals and provided treatment. The baby had skin lesions on back of the abdomen, buttocks & legs and the lesions got worse over a period of time.

The baby was admitted to the hospital on May 21 and gradually recovered after receiving treatment at the neonatal unit of the hospital.

Dr P V Rama Rao, Director & head of children's services, Andhra Hospitals, while addressing the media on Saturday said that the baby had some lesions which were in black colour, some in red and few others in bluish tinge, with ulceration over the leg.

The baby also had high fever on the day of admission. Baby had high fever and breathlessness when he got admitted into the intensive care unit. He had skin lesions which were quite florid & severe with ulceration over buttocks & legs. This condition is called neonatal 'Purpura fulminans' which is one of the very rare conditions with extensive skin lesions in the newborns.

Dr Rama Rao said the mother & baby tested negative for RTPCR but Covid IgG antibodies were positive in both mother & baby suggestive of transplacental transmission of antibodies from mother to the baby. The newborn was treated with Immunoglobulins, steroids & blood thinners such as heparin and the fever came down and the baby was feeding well.

Dr Rama Rao has congratulated the doctors' team for treating the little baby.