Covid-19 was first identified as a novel coronavirus in December 2019 originating from the Hunan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, Hubei Province China. This is a group of large, enveloped single-stranded RNA viruses named for their coronal shape. The first local transmission of this virus was confirmed on February 26, 2020 in California when 60 imported cases were known to be in the US. As cases ballooned in America and globally, by May 11, 2020 there were over 4.1 million cases worldwide, and California had 88444 cases of Covid-19 with 3630 deaths, with the majority located in Los Angeles County then (over 32000 cases and 2042 deaths). At that time, 134 pregnant women in LA County had tested positive for the virus. Of the Covid-19 + pregnant women who had given birth (24) to that date, none of their newborns tested positive for the virus. In the 3 months since then cases have continued rising exponentially, with 20,728,874 cases worldwide and 5,234,800 cases in the US. As California, and specifically LA County’s rates continue to rise with 594,810 and 214,283 cases respectively now, the age demographics of infected individuals has dropped and now 18- 49 year olds make up 57% of people testing positive in the County. This has led to an increase in pregnant women diagnosed with the novel coronavirus in LA County, with 1120 cases documented as of August 8, 2020. Of these women who have given birth (61% vaginal, 26% Cesarean, and 13% unknown delivery mode), none of the 257 neonates have tested positive at birth for Covid 19. Given that even with a larger sample size none of the neonates tested positive for coronavirus, the evidence does not suggest that Covid 19 can be transmitted vertically at this time.
Table 1.
| Coronavirus numbers | May 11, 2020 | Aug 10, 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| California | 88444 | 594810 |
| LA County | 32258 | 214283 |
| Pregnant women in LA County | 139 | 1120 |
| Neonates in LA County | 0 | 0 |
Key Words
Vertical Transmission, Covid 19, LA County