GENEVA  - The Covid-19 pandemic is severely affecting the care of sick or premature newborn babies, with many being unnecessarily separated from their mothers and put at risk of death or long-term health problems, global health experts said on Tuesday (March 16).

Two new studies cited by the World Health Organisation (WHO) found that thousands of neonatal healthcare workers are not allowing mothers with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 infections to have skin-to-skin contact with their newborns, and nearly a quarter of those surveyed are not allowing breastfeeding.