Do not steam or arbitrarily use antiviral drugs for babies

In the “Guidelines for care and management at home with pregnant women, nursing mothers and infants with COVID-19” of the Ministry of Health, if the child has a fever above 38.5 degrees Celsius, Paracetamol should be given at a dose of 38.5 degrees Celsius. 10-15 mg/kg/time (oral or rectal use), at least 4-6 hours if repeated. The total dose should not exceed 60 mg/kg/day. If the child vomits within 15 minutes, the child can be given an alternate dose.

In case the child has a stuffy nose, adults should use 0.9% sodium chloride physiological saline solution, drop 2-3 drops in each nostril when the child has signs of stuffy nose and difficulty latching on to the breast. Adults should warm the bottle of physiological saline before instilling the child’s nose.

The Ministry of Health notes that you absolutely do not give babies a sauna in any form, do not arbitrarily use antiviral, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory drugs for babies without any indication or prescription. .

Also according to this guideline, the Ministry of Health emphasized the need to monitor the child’s overall health: breastfeeding status, skin color, stool and urine; measure body temperature at least twice a day (normal body temperature of children is between 36.5 and 37.5°C); Count breathing rate and measure SpO2 (if you have a device) 2 times/day.

SpO2 meters intended for use in adults may not be as accurate in infants, so monitoring of the child’s general health signs must be combined. At the same time, adults must immediately notify medical staff or take the child to a medical facility when they see one of the danger signs in the newborn.

According to the Ministry of Health, it is not necessary to do routine antigen testing or RT-PCR SARS-CoV-2 for all newborns, even if the caregiver has COVID-19.

In the event that both mother and child are confirmed to have COVID-19, the mother can maintain breastfeeding. If the baby’s nose is stuffy and difficult to suckle, the mother needs to clean the baby’s nose before feeding. If the child is unable to suckle, express breast milk and feed it with a cup and spoon.

If only the mother is confirmed to have COVID-19, health care providers should advise the mother and family to weigh the benefits of breastfeeding against the risk that the infant may contract COVID-19.