COVID-19: neonatal–perinatal perspectives

• Published in: Journal of perinatology Vol. 41; no. 5; pp. 940 - 951
• Main Authors: Barrero-Castillero, Alejandra, Beam, Kristyn S., Bernardini, Laura B., Ramos, Erika G. Cordova, Davenport, Patricia E., Duncan, Anna R., Fraiman, Yarden S., Frazer, Lauren C., Healy, Helen, Herzberg, Emily M., Keyes, Madeline L., Leeman, Kristen T., Leone, Kristin, Levin, Jonathan C., Lin, Matthew, Raju, Ravikiran M., Sullivan, Anne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Nature Publishing Group US 01.05.2021; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/420/254; 692/699/255/2514; 692/700/1720; 692/700/3935; Adrenal Cortex Hormones - therapeutic use; Care and treatment; Control; Coronaviridae; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - drug therapy; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - transmission; Demographic aspects; Disease control; Disease Management; Disease transmission; Epidemics; Ethnic factors; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health risks; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infections; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical - prevention & control; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical - statistics & numerical data; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Methods; Neonates; Newborn babies; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Pandemics; Pathogenesis; Pediatric research; Pediatric Surgery; Pediatrics; Perinatal infection; Perinatology; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - drug therapy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - epidemiology; Pregnancy Outcome - epidemiology; Respiratory diseases; Review; Review Article; Risk factors; SARS-CoV-2 - physiology; Severe acute respiratory syndrome; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Social aspects; United States; Viral diseases; United States
• ISSN: 0743-8346; 1476-5543
• DOI: 10.1038/s41372-020-00874-x

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, resulting from infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused severe and widespread illness in adults, including pregnant women, while rarely infecting neonates. An incomplete understanding of disease pathogenesis and viral spread has resulted in evolving guidelines to reduce transmission from infected mothers to neonates. Fortunately, the risk of neonatal infection via perinatal/postnatal transmission is low when recommended precautions are followed. However, the psychosocial implications of these practices and racial/ethnic disparities highlighted by this pandemic must also be addressed when caring for mothers and their newborns. This review provides a comprehensive overview of neonatal–perinatal perspectives of COVID-19, ranging from the basic science of infection and recommendations for care of pregnant women and neonates to important psychosocial, ethical, and racial/ethnic topics emerging as a result of both the pandemic and the response of the healthcare community to the care of infected individuals.