Goa: Covid-19 hospital has first delivery, a baby girl

PANAJI: The Covid hospital in Margao saw the first baby being born on its premises after a 33-year-old woman from Mangor Hill delivered a girl on Friday. The mother, who is Covid-positive, was however not permitted to hold the baby, who was quickly whisked away to the Goa Medical College (GMC) and hospital’s paediatrics ward.
The woman, who has three other children, was admitted in the hospital on Friday afternoon itself. A few hours later, at 6.45pm, the baby was born. “The baby will be tested after 48-72 hours,” said deputy director of health services Dr Ira Almeida. “If positive, she will be reunited with her mother, who is also positive.”
The woman, however, is asymptomatic.
The caesarian procedure was performed by a specialist team from GMC that wore full PPE — special sterile Tyvek suits — in the hospital’s operation theatre. The OT’s air-conditioning system was turned off, and special standing hepa filters used to filter the virus and decrease the room’s viral load were used. These precautions were taken to protect both the baby and the doctors.
“Utmost care was taken to follow infection control measures and protocol for Covid caesarean procedures,” said Almeida. “Mock drills were conducted earlier, and everybody was prepared for a delivery. We have several pregnant women in the hospital, but she was the first who was a term pregnancy.”
The youngest patient at the Covid hospital to date was a four-month-old child who was admitted with her mother (who tested negative). The hospital has a special paediatric ward and paediatric OT.
When asked about Friday’s development, doctors said that they’re keeping their fingers crossed. “Yes, it’s positive news, but we hope she tests negative,” one doctor said.