As Panwa Devi and Gulabsa Parveen walked out of Hazaribag Medical College and Hospital with newborns in their laps after defeating the coronavirus; they were full of gratitude for the health workers who ensured best possible care and medication during the last fortnight.

“I am indebted to all the health and cleanliness workers who saved my life and protected my baby from the deadly virus. I do not have anything to offer to them but I will pray for their safety as they are risking their lives for protecting others,” said an emotional Panwa.

Panwa and Gulabsa, residents of Katkamsandi block in Hazaribagh district, were admitted to Shrinivas Hospital on May 11, expecting delivery. The duo gave birth to two healthy infants on the same day, but their happiness was short-lived as both of them tested positive for Covid-19 four days later.

After the babies were born, doctors from the gynaecology department of HMCH who had attended to the duo took precautions to ensure the newborns are not infected by their mothers, and kept them in isolation.

“The Covid sample results of the mothers were still awaited, so we kept the kids in an isolated environment. We only allowed the kids near their moms during feeding, and that too only after the mothers and the attendant were sanitized and wore masks at all times,” said Dr Shweta, assistant professor, gynaecology, at HMCH, Hazaribagh.

After the mother duo tested positive, the district administration shifted all patients from Shrinivas Hospital into isolation and treatment wards at HMCH as a precautionary measure, also carrying out a massive sanitization drive.

In order to ascertain infection, samples of the newborns were collected on May 18, along with their mothers, and all of them tested negative on May 25. The doctors, after conducting a detailed medical examination of all four, declared the babies infection-free and the mothers recovered.

All four were discharged from HMCH the next day.

When asked about the medical reason behind the kids not getting infected, Dr Sweta said, “We ensured that the newborn were fed mother’s milk as it is very necessary for building immunity. Till now we have also notices that the novel coronavirus isn’t bale able to cross the placenta, which is the only connection between a mother and her child inside the womb.”