The hospital tests all pregnant women at the birth - seven percent infected

- It's about protecting those we need most right now: namely anesthesiologists and anesthesiologists. When you are admitted to a maternity ward, there is a risk that you will end up on an operating table, which is why we have chosen to test everyone, says Karin Pettersson, chief physician and section manager for maternity care at Karolinska.

320 pregnant women have been tested for covid-19 at Karolinska University Hospital in Solna and Huddinge for the past two weeks. 23 of these, about seven percent, were found to be infected.

But if the mother is infected, it does not mean that the child is separated from her after childbirth.

- Although there is a fairly high risk of the child becoming infected, it does not appear to cause any serious illness in the child. Most people will not notice that they have become infected. That is why we have judged that the attachment and breastfeeding belonging to the first period is so important and we see no reason to separate mother and child, says Karin Pettersson.

Have any of the children tested positive?

- Of the 23 women, only a few children have been tested positive. None of the children have shown any signs of a bad effect, they have had the virus but no symptoms.