'Virus transmission in womb unlikely’

CHENNAI: Can a Covid-19-infected expectant mother pass on the virus to the baby? Most experts say the chances are minuscule.
The coronavirus is known to attack the respiratory tract and blood-borne transmission to the womb is unknown. Moreover, the cells in the placenta do not allow transmission of the virus from the mother to the baby, experts say. Around 25 pregnant women in TN, who constitute a little more than 1% of the 2,323 confirmed cases in the state, have tested positive for Covid-19 and at least five of them have delivered healthy babies.
“The novel coronavirus remains in the respiratory tract -throat, nasal cavity or the lungs. There is no connection between these organs of the mother and the fetus. Placental cells do not have receptors for the virus to attach itself. It is unlike HIV that infects the blood cells and can be passed on to the fetus,” says Shahid Jameel, virologist and chief executive officer of Wellcome Trust DBT India Alliances.