Background: COVID-19 is an ongoing health concern that hospitals have struggled to keep up with, given its increasing burden with the passage of time. Considerations for the management of COVID-19 should be made especially for pregnant patients and their neonates. Objectives: To determine COVID-19 prevalence and the clinical profile of mothers admitted for childbirth at Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center from May 2020 to July 2020. The profile and outcomes of neonates born to these mothers were likewise studied. Materials and Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done that included mothers admitted for childbirth who had SARS-CoV-2 RT PCR swab test and their neonates. A total of 408 medical records of mother and neonate dyads were reviewed. Relevant variables such as the patients’ demographic profile, clinical characteristics, co-morbidities and the maternal and neonatal outcomes were obtained. Frequency distributions were made to assess the prevalence of COVID-19 among the patients, as well as maternal and neonatal outcomes. Results: Twenty-two (5.39%) mothers tested positive for COVID-19, while all neonates (n = 22) that underwent RT-PCR swab at the 24th hour of life had negative results. Of the 22 COVID-19 positive mothers, 2 (9.09%) were symptomatic upon admission while 20 (90.09%) were asymptomatic. The following were the key trends among those mothers who tested positive for COVID-19: (1) 81.82% were from ages 20-39 years old, (2) 72.73% were multigravida mothers, (3) 54.55% had normal spontaneous delivery, (4) diabetes mellitus was the only noted comorbidity. Key findings on the neonatal outcomes observed in the study population of both COVID-19 positive and negative cases, include: (1) majority of neonates had an APGAR score of greater than 7 at 1st and 5th minute of life; (2) higher frequency of neonates with Ballard’s score of more than 37 weeks AOG; (3) more male neonates as compared to female neonates; (4) a normal birth weight for majority of cases; (5) 45.45% of neonates born to COVID positive mothers had a length of stay of <48 hours as compared to 72.8% of neonates born to COVID negative mothers; and (6) neonatal pneumonia as the most common comorbid condition in both cases. Conclusion This study noted a prevalence of 5.39% COVID-19 positive mothers. SARS-CoV-2 virus was not detected in all of the neonates born to COVID-19 affected mothers. Neonates delivered to COVID-19 positive mothers had similar trends in the neonatal outcomes when compared to neonates delivered to mother who were COVID-19 negative.
COVID-19

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to a public health emergency causing changes that may pose a greater risk of behavioral and psychosocial problems for children. Children of healthcare workers are possibly at increased risk of mental health problems due to their parent’s constant exposure to COVID-19. The Pediatric Symptoms Checklist-35 (PSC-35) is one of the validated psychosocial screening tools that helps identify emotional, cognitive, and behavior problems in children. Objective: To determine the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 pandemic on 6-16 years old children of healthcare workers using the PSC-35. Methodology: This is a cross-sectional analytic study. Demographic and clinical data were collected. PSC-35 were administered from June 2023-September 2023 to the healthcare worker parents with children aged 6-16 years old. Using this validated PSC-35, questions are a series of signs and symptoms related to impairments in cognitive, emotional, and/or behavioral well-being of children. This 35-item questionnaire was rated and scored as 0 for Never,1 for Sometimes, and 2 for Often. The total scores were evaluated, calculated, and interpreted. A cut off score of 28 or higher indicates a high possibility psychosocial impairment that warrant further investigation or referral to a specialist. Results and Conclusions Out of 372 respondents, 4.57% (n=17) children were found at risk of psychosocial impairment with PSC-35 score of 28 and higher. Two demographic factors were found to have a significant correlation with scores above the cutoff: maternal occupation (p-value 0.018) and the presence of comorbidity in the parent (p-value 0.000). Children found to be at risk were advised consultation with a specialist.
COVID-19 ; Pandemics