Moms with coronavirus should be separated from newborns for 2 weeks, CDC recommends

New recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say mothers with coronavirus should be separated from their newborn babies after giving birth.

It is not known if newborns have an increased risk for severe complications if their mother has the virus, but the infant should be considered a PUI (person under investigation), the CDC said.

If the mother has coronavirus, a separate isolation room should be made available for the baby while their mom recovers, the CDC said.

Mothers with coronavirus “should be placed in a single room, be restricted to their room and wear a facemask during care activities until all symptoms are completely resolved or until 14 days after the Illness onset, whichever Is longer,” the CDC recommended for mothers discharged to long-term care or assisted living facilities.

Johns Hopkins Hospital, who is following the CDC’s recommendation, said mothers have the final say on whether to stay with her newborn, according to USA Today.

“It comes down to assessment of risk versus benefits,” Johns Hopkins’ Dr. Jeanne Sheffield told USA Today. “Right now, we have come down to say that the risk of skin-to-skin breastfeeding COVID positive moms is high enough.”

No infants born to mothers with COVID-19 have tested positive for the virus, according to the CDC. But a small study published in JAMA Pediatrics Thursday showed three of 33 pregnant women in China passed coronavirus to their babies.

There is “a concern” mothers can transmit the virus to their newborns after birth, according to Massachusetts General Hospital. The hospital also said a temporary separation of the mother and infant may be recommended.

Breast milk by the mother can still be fed to the newborn, albeit by a healthy caregiver, Mass General said.

Pregnant women should be considered an “at-risk population” for coronavirus because they suffer a greater mortality rate from other respiratory Infections, according to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

This story was originally published March 27, 2020 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Moms with coronavirus should be separated from newborns for 2 weeks, CDC recommends."