Currently, pregnant women, children, the elderly, and patients with chronic basic diseases are the key groups for medical services, and their health affects the hearts of every family. If a pregnant woman is infected with the new coronavirus, will it affect her child? Does my baby need immediate medical attention if he is "positive"? How should elderly friends protect themselves? Recently, reporters interviewed experts from the Department of Obstetrics, Pediatrics, and Geriatrics of the First People's Hospital of our city, and asked them to answer questions about the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the new coronavirus among key groups.
Will it affect the child if a pregnant woman is infected? Can I breastfeed?
Li Caiqiu, Director of the Obstetrics Department of No. 1 City Hospital:
In view of the fact that the current pathogenicity and virulence of virus have been significantly weakened, pregnant women should not have too many concerns at first. Judging from the current evidence, the possibility of vertical transmission of from mother to fetus is extremely low, so expectant mothers do not need to worry too much.
The infection rate and symptoms of pregnant women are similar to those of the general population. They usually get better in three or four days and recover in about 7 days. For pregnant women with underlying and chronic diseases, symptoms may worsen after infection. Pregnant women who are about to undergo prenatal check-up should contact the hospital immediately after being infected with the new coronavirus. Medical staff will formulate a new prenatal check-up plan based on the pregnant woman's gestational age, pregnancy risks and underlying diseases, postpone the prenatal check-up, or change it to online consultation, or arrange to go to the corresponding isolation area of the hospital for prenatal check-up.
For pregnant women who have no symptoms, no medication is required. If the body temperature exceeds 38.5℃, you can take acetaminophen for treatment. If your fever does not improve after taking medicine, or if you develop severe discomfort such as chest pain, chest tightness, headache, palpitation, shortness of breath, or shortness of breath, or if you develop symptoms such as abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding or discharge, or abnormal fetal movement, you should go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment in time.
If you are infected with the new coronavirus after delivery, there is a risk of infecting the newborn through respiratory tract and contact transmission. It is first recommended that the mother be isolated from the newborn. The mother can express the milk during feeding (the milk does not need to be sterilized), and family health personnel can feed the child. However, studies have shown that with proper protection, the risk of infection in newborns does not increase significantly after mothers and infants share a room. If the living conditions do not allow it, or the mother chooses to take care of the newborn in the same room, it is recommended that the mother strengthen personal protection, wear an N95 mask, and keep a distance of more than 2 meters from the newborn. It is not recommended to wear a mask or use other items to cover the face of the newborn. Perform hand hygiene before touching the child or breast pump, avoid touching the newborn's food or tableware with your mouth, and disinfect the newborn's supplies in time.
Symptoms of newborns infected with the new coronavirus include fever, lethargy, runny nose, poor eating, cough, shortness of breath, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. Parents should do a good job in observing the health of newborns, especially premature babies. If they find that their newborns have the above conditions, they should seek medical treatment in time.
If a baby is "positive", does he need immediate medical attention?
Zhou Jian, director of the Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology at the No. 1 Hospital in the city:
The symptoms of children infected with the new coronavirus are similar to those of adults, with the main symptoms being upper respiratory tract infection . After children are infected with the new coronavirus, they may develop symptoms such as fever, cough, pharyngeal discomfort, sore throat, nasal congestion, runny nose, etc. Some children may experience symptoms such as muscle aches, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, etc., and a few children may experience febrile convulsions, wheezing, and suffocation. The probability of severe illness is very low.
The simplest principle to determine whether a child needs immediate medical treatment is to observe the child's mental state. For example, if a child is in good spirits and needs to eat, drink, and play, there is generally no need to worry. If the following conditions occur, you should seek medical treatment in time: Continuous fever for more than 3 days, poor mental status, even if the body temperature drops; irritability and crying, unable to be comforted; frequent coughing, frequent vomiting; rapid breathing, or even difficulty breathing; reduced urine output, increased stool frequency, or purulent and bloody stools; persistent pain in a certain part or a mass in the abdomen; disorder of consciousness, convulsions. In addition, it is recommended that children under 3 months old seek medical advice promptly as long as they have a fever.
Families with children should properly stock up on some emergency medicines commonly used by children.Children under 2 months old generally do not take antipyretic drugs and should seek medical treatment in time; children over 2 months old and under 6 months old can choose acetaminophen; children over 6 months old can choose one of ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Do not take two antipyretics at the same time. In addition to fever, children may also cough. In principle, parents are not recommended to give their children antitussive drugs by themselves, because coughing is the body's protective reflex and helps discharge respiratory secretions.
would like to remind all parents that the functions of children's organs are not fully developed, so medication should be used carefully, follow the doctor's instructions, and read the instructions carefully. Do not keep giving antipyretics to your child just because the child does not reduce the fever. At present, our city has opened a new crown free consultation platform. Citizens can obtain guidance from professional doctors through online consultation to avoid delays in their children's condition due to self-medication.
Most elderly friends suffer from basic diseases. How should they protect themselves?
Chen Haiting, Director of the Geriatric Medicine Department of the First City Hospital:
Under the current circumstances, the elderly should go out less, avoid going to closed places where people gather, minimize contact with the external environment, and live a regular life to ensure regular sleep and adequate nutrition, but they should not overeat.
Practice has proven that vaccination is an effective way to resist the new coronavirus. The press conference of the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council pointed out that based on the current monitoring situation, after vaccination for elderly people aged 60 and above, the overall reported incidence of adverse reactions is slightly lower than that of people under 60 years old, and the incidence of serious adverse reactions is basically similar to that of other groups, less than one per million. Therefore, the elderly, especially those with chronic underlying diseases, should actively vaccinate to provide "insurance" for their life and health.
For the elderly with underlying diseases, it is necessary to strengthen the management of underlying diseases . They should not stop taking medicines because they are afraid of going to the hospital to get medicines. They can also stock up on some long-term medicines for treating basic diseases (such as high blood pressure medicines, diabetes medicines, etc.) to avoid interruption of treatment due to drug shortages. People with unstable underlying diseases, such as severe respiratory diseases, serious cardiac diseases, or those over 80 years old who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19, are all high-risk groups and require special attention to observation and monitoring.
If young people have suspected symptoms of infection, they should reduce contact with the elderly at home to reduce the risk of the elderly being infected. Once the elderly are infected, it is recommended to eat small and frequent meals, replenish fluids in small amounts and multiple times, and ensure sleep. The higher the body temperature and age of the elderly, the more cautious they must be in using medications. Do not increase the dosage at will, and avoid using multiple drugs with the same effect together.
Media reporter: Li Mengchu
Media editor: Ying Xuyi
Proofreader: Dong Bibing
First trial: Ying Xuyi
Second trial: Qin Xiaojian
Final review: Jiang Zhongyi
