The baby boy, weighing 3.8 kg, was born at 36 weeks. His vitals were stable and no abnormalities were detected. He was separated from his 30-year-old mother at birth to prevent possible coronavirus infection. For now, the infant is kept in his own room and bottle-fed by doctors and nurses.

The mother, from the northern Phu Tho Province, returned to Vietnam from Russia on July 17. She tested positive for the novel coronavirus on July 23.

Tran Thuong Viet, head of the hospital’s obstetrics department, said the hospital has prepared for her birth for three weeks now. The doctors and nurses who assisted with the birth were quarantined for 14 days right after delivery, he confirmed.

A nurse in protective gears holds a boy born by a Covid-19 patient
in Hanoi's National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, September 10, 2020.
Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Son.

Viet said the most worrying thing was the mother had tested positive for the coronavirus, meaning she could suffer lung damage. "We had to prepare to separate her and the child to prevent infection, despite there being no reports on Covid-19 mother-child transmission. It is unknown whether the mother’s milk may contain antibodies to help protect the child or not," he said, adding the birth went well.

Previously, the hospital had also succeeded in delivering babies for two suspected Covid-19 cases. There are now 19 Covid-19 patients still receiving treatment at the hospital.

This isn’t the first time a Covid-19 patient has given birth while still in treatment. Last month, a 35-year-old woman with Covid-19 gave birth to a baby girl at the Hoa Vang Field Hospital in central Da Nang City.

Vietnam has recorded 1,059 Covid-19 cases so far, 131 still active. The country has recorded no new local transmissions for a week.