• Shiva Prasad Sharma Chalise, Kumar MishraSantoshSDepartment of Pediatrics, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal., Bimal Sharma Chalise, Punam Rai, Subash Paudel, Prerana Kansakar, and Anil Raj Ojha.
• Department of Pediatrics, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal.
• JNMA J Nepal Med Assoc. 2021 Jul 30; 59 (239): 667-671.

IntroductionNepal is one of the countries which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and has resulted in high morbidity and mortality across all age groups including neonates. There has been a paucity of studies regarding maternal to neonatal COVID-19 transmission and the published studies also have a poor sample size to reach any definite conclusion. Hence this study was carried out to see the clinical profiles of neonates born to COVID-19 mothers.MethodsIt was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The study was conducted at a tertiary care centre over the period of one year from April 2020 to March 2021 after taking ethical clearance from the Institutional Review Committee with reference number drs2105211526. Convenient sampling was done. All neonates born to COVID-19 positive mothers who were diagnosed by a real-time polymerase chain reaction of the nasopharyngeal swab during the time of delivery were included in the study. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences 20 using appropriate tools.ResultsA total of 105 babies born to COVID-19 positive mothers who were tested for COVID-19 infection were included in the study. Ten (9.5%) (3.89-15.10 at 95% Confidence Interval) of neonates born to COVID-19 positive mothers were positive for the COVID-19 virus. All the neonates born to COVID-19 positive mothers were discharged home except one case who had other comorbidities. Fever was present in four (40%) of COVID-19 positive neonates.ConclusionsThere is a possibility of vertical transmission of coronavirus in neonates although the outcome is favourable.

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