Covid-infected mother dies following delivery in Maungdaw; baby in good health

By DMG 30 Jul 2021

DMG Newsroom
30 July 2021, Maungdaw 

A pregnant woman infected with Covid-19 died after the delivery at Maungdaw District Hospital on Tuesday, but the newborn is in good health, according to the hospital’s medical superintendent, Dr. Nu Kathi San. 

“The baby is in good health. His father was tested for coronavirus and tested negative. He will be tested again tomorrow [July 31] and if he tests negative, he can go back home with his child,” said Dr. Nu Kathi San. 

The 19-year-old woman from Thiho village in Maungdaw Township was rushed to hospital on July 27 after experiencing labour difficulties, and tested positive for Covid-19 at the hospital. She died after cesarean delivery, according to the district public health department. 

“We were called to help transport to the hospital that night,” said chairman Ko Chit Htoo Naing of Karuna Network, a charity based in Maungdaw. 

“We found that she had difficulty breathing when we arrived. Doctors gave her a cesarean section as soon as she arrived.  Otherwise, both she and her baby could have died,” he added. 

U Kaung Yaing, a grandfather of the newborn, said he would adopt the baby. “But we are daily wage earners and we will need help,” he said. 

A total of 2,622 Covid-19 cases were recorded across Arakan State as of July 29, with 162 deaths attributed to the disease, since the pandemic’s third wave in Myanmar began in May, according to the state public health department.