COVID-19 infection in an extreme low birthweight, preterm baby: A case report

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is the largest and most widely spread health emergency globally in recent years and affects all, irrespective of race or sex.  This pandemic is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome - coronavirus- 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Unlike adults, most babies and children who are  infected with this virus are asymptomatic. Fever is the most common symptom that has been reported in children who are positive for COVID-19.  Our study reports a case of a preterm, extremely low birth weight baby who was positive for COVID- 19. He had tachypnea, hypoxia and  neurological symptoms, which include episodes of high pitched cry and hypertonia. The mother was COVID-19 negative, while over sixty per cent of  the staff, including doctors and nurses, were positive when he was on admission. This baby was infected probably by the staffs in the newborn unit.   Babies with COVID-19 should not be assumed to have a mild form of the disease but must be admitted at least for observation