Due to the spread of the new coronavirus, in Saitama Prefecture, the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), which temporarily isolates babies born from infected pregnant women, is almost full, and infected pregnant women with threatened premature birth are sent to medical institutions outside the prefecture. I have a case to transport.
According to the Saitama Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the number of pregnant women infected with the new coronavirus in the prefecture increased sharply in July, reaching 399 in the week from July 31 to August 6.
Babies born from infected pregnant women are temporarily isolated in NICUs until they are confirmed to be negative, but NICUs at medical institutions in the prefecture continue to be almost full.
On August 7, it was discovered that a pregnant woman with imminent premature birth who was admitted to a clinic in the prefecture was infected with the new coronavirus, but no NICU in the prefecture that would accept the baby could be found, and the doctor in charge of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Association made arrangements. After that, the next day, they were able to secure a place to accept them at a medical institution in Tokyo.
Dr. Junnao Hattori of the Saitama Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, who helped secure the hospital, said, "Until now, we were able to manage at medical institutions in the prefecture, even if we had to force ourselves, but I felt that it was no longer working. Pregnant women. I want not only families but also the whole community to raise awareness of infection prevention."