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National guidance on COVID-19 infection in pregnancy

Guidance has been published this afternoon (Monday 9 March 2020) on the management of COVID-19 in pregnancy. The advice has been developed by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, with input from the Royal College of Anaesthetists, Public Health England and Health Protection Scotland.

The guidance states:

  • Pregnant women do not appear to be more susceptible to the consequences of coronavirus than the general population and there is no evidence that the virus can pass to a baby during pregnancy
  • As a precautionary approach, pregnant women with suspected or confirmed coronavirus when they go into labour are being advised to attend an obstetric unit for birth but their birth plan should be followed as closely as possible
  • At the moment there is no evidence that the virus can be carried in breast milk, so it is felt the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh any potential risks of transmission of coronavirus through breast milk

The guidance covers the most up-to-date advice on how coronavirus affects pregnant women and their unborn babies, how labour and birth should be managed in women with suspected or confirmed coronavirus, as well as information on neonatal care and infant feeding.

The full guidance is available here.

As of 9am this morning (9 Mar 2020), 319 cases have been confirmed positive in the UK and three patients who tested positive have died. According to the Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England (PHE), 24,960 people have been tested in the UK, of whom 24,641 were confirmed negative.


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