A woman undergoing treatment for coronavirus (COVID-19) in an isolation ward in Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé, gave birth to a baby girl over the weekend, a doctor at the hospital has told the BBC.
The mother, 19-year-old Marie, gave birth normally in the isolation ward but has since been separated from her newborn baby.
The patient was connected to an oxygen supply when her contractions started.
“We just arranged the room and she delivered on her bed while on oxygen,” Dr Yaneu Ngaha Bondja Junie, a gynaecologist at the Yaoundé Central Hospital, told the BBC.
The baby was born prematurely weighing 2.1kg (4.6lb) and is in the neonatal unit. It is not clear if the baby is infected as her tests are still being processed, but she is being fed with breast milk from her mother.
Marie is continuing with treatment in the isolation ward but feels lonely since her family is not allowed in the isolation unit, Dr Yaneu said.
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“We were lucky Marie had a safe delivery, but in a situation where the delivery cannot be normal we have to act fast and go for the C-section,” Dr Yaneu said.
He urged expectant mothers who had contracted the virus not to panic.
Meanwhile, Ghana has confirmed 73 new cases of the novel Coronavirus, bringing the total count to 287.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) in a statement said with the institution of the enhanced contact tracing and testing measures, Ghana has recorded an increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.
“As of 6 April 2020, 23:30 hr, a total of 287 cases of COVID-19 with five deaths have been recorded.
“The regional distribution of the cases are as follows: Greater Accra Region has most cases (258) followed by the Ashanti Region (18), Northern Region (10), Upper West Region (1), Eastern Region (1) and Upper East Region (1),” the statement read.
BBC
