The UK variant of Covid is more cardiotoxic, causing damage to heart muscles than the currently circulating strains as more positive cases and deaths caused by the infection are reported in the UK among the younger population and kids, said Dr Aarti Kinikar, head, paediatric ward, Sassoon General Hospital.
She was speaking about rare and complicated Covid case studies during a presentation at the collector’s office on Wednesday.
Dr Kinikar also said that the lesson learnt during the H1N1 pandemic came handy for Covid treatment of kids.
Dr Kinikar who presented the first proven case of vertical transmission of Covid in the country, said, “The UK variant is found to be more cardiotoxic and younger adults infected with Covid are reporting cardiac arrest.”
“More cases and deaths are being reported among younger adults and kids post the new UK variant which was detected last year. We need to read more and get more information as the virus is still evolving,” she said.
Describing one such complicated case, Dr Kinikar said, “In this case, while the mother tested RT-PCR negative twice, the baby had tested positive for the same. The mother had reported flu-like symptoms following 38 weeks of gestation. On day seven after the delivery of the child, the mother tested negative through RT-PCR and also negative for antibodies while the baby tested RT-PCR positive for the swab samples collected through placenta and cord stump or umbilical cord.”
“In the following RT-PCR tests the baby tested positive for the infection and tested negative for antibodies on day ten after birth while the mother has now tested positive for antibodies. Later on the 21st day, the baby tested positive for antibodies. This just shows that the mother had infected the child when she was asymptomatic and had caught the infection just a few weeks before the delivery,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}“In the following RT-PCR tests the baby tested positive for the infection and tested negative for antibodies on day ten after birth while the mother has now tested positive for antibodies. Later on the 21st day, the baby tested positive for antibodies. This just shows that the mother had infected the child when she was asymptomatic and had caught the infection just a few weeks before the delivery,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}Antibodies are proteins which act as immune cells and are produced by the body to fight against invading viruses and bacteria. The presence of antibodies shows that the body has been fighting against the particular virus or ‘foreign invader’.
Dr Kinikar said this was the first proven case of vertical transmission of Covid in the country which was later also published in an international journal.
“We collected the swab samples from the placenta and the umbilical cord to establish vertical transmission which we did not do during the H1N1 pandemic. We learnt our lessons and so we did the required test this time. We have had several cases of vertical transmission thereafter in all the cases the baby was safe,” she said.