# Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in newborns born to SARS-CoV-2-positive mothers at 2 weeks of life

## TL;DR

This study found that very few newborns born to SARS-CoV-2-positive mothers tested positive for the virus at two weeks old, and none showed symptoms.

## Contribution

The study provides new evidence on low transmission rates of SARS-CoV-2 from infected mothers to newborns during early life.

## Key findings

- Only 7 out of 222 newborns tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by day 14.
- None of the positive newborns showed symptoms of infection.
- Low transmission rates support safe direct breastfeeding with proper hygiene.

## Abstract

Limited evidence exists on management recommendations for neonates born to SARS-CoV-2-positive mothers. This study looked at transmission risk of neonates presenting for primary care in a large regional health system within New York during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This was a prospective, observational study of newborns born to SARS-CoV-2-positive mothers presenting at any of the 19 Northwell Health-Cohen Children's Medical Center primary care practices who underwent another oropharyngeal/nasopharyngeal swab for detection of SARS-CoV-2 by day of life (DOL) 14.

Among 293 newborns born to SARS-CoV-2-positive mothers who were negative at birth, 222 were retested at DOL 14, corresponding to times with different predominant strains. Of these, seven tested positive but had no symptoms.

The overall low transmission rates and absence of symptomatic infection support the safety of direct breastfeeding after hospital discharge with appropriate hand and breast hygiene.