A 26-year-old mom of four in Israel suffering from the COVID-19 coronavirus reportedly gave birth to a healthy baby boy via emergency C-section while hooked up to a ventilator to help her breathe.
Hospital officials told the New York Post the woman was suffering from nausea and vomiting when she walked into the maternity ward of Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer in late March.
She had no idea she was experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, but soon after, she tested positive and she started having contractions.
“The delivery began in a special coronavirus-dedicated delivery room, but when the mother went into respiratory distress, she was transferred quickly into a specially prepared operating room,” hospital spokeswoman Jodie Singer told the Post in an e-mail.
“While the mother was intubated and hooked up to a lifesaving ventilator, doctors performed a successful emergency C-section and delivered a healthy baby boy,” Singer said, adding that the baby weighed a little under six pounds.
Doctors tested the newborn for coronavirus, and fortunately, the results came back negative, however, his mom hasn’t been able to hold him because she’s still fighting the disease in the hospital’s coronavirus critical care unit.
“The reunion is expected to take place within the next week, when the mother is discharged,” Singer said. “Since this delivery, the coronavirus delivery room has been put to use several more times. Each baby has been born healthy and has tested negative for the virus.”
Professor Eldad Katorza, who is the senior physician at Sheba’s Gynecology and Maternity Center said in a statement: “Thankfully, at Sheba we are always thinking two steps ahead and we had both the delivery room and operating room fully prepared to handle coronavirus patients. We were able to move quickly to perform an emergency Caesarean section and deliver a healthy and happy baby boy.”
The Jerusalem Post reported that as of Friday morning (Apr. 10) the number of coronavirus patients in Israel had surged past 10,000, leaving 95 people dead.
According to the Israel Health Ministry, the cities of Jerusalem and Bnei Brak have the highest number of cases in the country—1,780 and 1,681.
