Bloom amidst the COVID gloom: Coronavirus infected woman gives birth to healthy child in West Bengal's Howrah

 A woman from Shibpur area of West Bengal's Howrah district was infected with COVID-19 while she was pregnant. But even then she did not lose her mental strength and gave birth to a perfectly healthy child on Tuesday night. 

Kolkata: In the midst of global frustration over the coronavirus pandemic, a newborn brought a wave of happiness to the COVID-designated hospital in Howrah district, West Bengal.

A woman from Shibpur area of West Bengal's Howrah district was infected with COVID-19 while she was pregnant. But even then she did not lose her mental strength and gave birth to a perfectly healthy child on Tuesday night. 

As the day of her delivery was approaching, her family members were eagerly awaiting the good news. However, the woman fell ill a few days ago as she developed symptoms of COVID-19. She was admitted to a private hospital in Kolkata's Mukundapur and was tested positive for coronavirus.

She was then shifted to the Sanjivan Hospital in Fuleswar area of Howrah, one of the designated COVID-19 hospitals. 

According to hospital sources, the woman started having labour pain on Tuesday. The doctors and nurses of the hospital were also worried along with her family, as she was still infected. 

"Will there be any problem during the delivery? Has the baby been infected with COVID-19?" such  questions were floating in the hospital corridors.

However, overcoming all fears, the woman gave birth to a healthy child at 8 pm on Tuesday. As the good news spread in the hospital, fears turned into joy. The birth of a new life uplifted the spirit of the health workers. They were seen busy taking pictures with the newborn.

The hospital authority said, this piece of news has also given hope to the patients admitted in the COVID ward. However, the mother could not come in contact with the newborn as she has to completely defeat the deadly coronavirus first. 

Earlier, on April 13, another COVID-infected woman gave birth to a healthy child at the same Sanjivan Hospital in Fuleshwar. The mother and the child were released on May 1, after both of them tested negative twice for coronavirus.