Japan records 1st case of mother-to-new-born COVID-19 transmission

A newborn in Japan is believed to have contracted COVID-19 from the mother in what may be the first case of mother-to-baby coronavirus transmission in the country, the NHK reported on Monday.

According to the Japanese broadcast media outlet, researchers from the Japan Paediatric Society studied 1,124 medical facilities across the country, which have paediatric departments.

It said the survey results indicated that 52 newborns at 31 facilities were born to coronavirus-positive mothers last August, of whom one baby was said to be infected.

The child reportedly did not have health problems, the broadcaster added.

According to Morioka Ichiro, a Professor at the Nihon University School of Medicine, the chances of mothers passing coronavirus on to their babies are low and infected babies may develop light symptoms.

There have been reports coming from other countries, including Singapore and Bulgaria, where women gave birth to babies with antibodies after having contracted COVID-19 during pregnancy.