Vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was found to be rare when newborns were allowed to stay with COVID-19-infected mothers, suggested an Italian study.

Among 62 infants, only one (1.6%) became infected with COVID-19 illness after staying in the same room with the mother after birth, reported researchers in JAMA Pediatrics. The baby who became infected was born to the only mother who developed severe illness, thus indicating that rooming in was safe for new mothers with milder disease while following infection control protocols. Additionally, nearly three-quarters of babies were exclusively breastfed, suggesting that breast milk could have a protective role.

The findings suggested that the risk of mother-to-infant transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during rooming in appeared to be unlikely… (Medpage Today)