Yanira Soriano was released from Southside Hospital in Bay Shore on Wednesday as the entire staff applauded.
"We announced overhead in the hospital that she was being discharged and I think just about everyone in the building that wasn't taking care of a patient directly came down to the lobby to clap and applaud her," said Dr. Benjamin Schwartz.
However, the staff didn't know was that Soriano would meet her son for the very first time.
Soriano had COVID-19 pneumonia earlier this month and was put in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator.
She was on a ventilator for 11 days before her baby was delivered via c-section while she was 34 weeks pregnant.
Her baby was released from the hospital Tuesday in good health and he tested negative for COVID-19.
"It's hard to explain the happiness that we all felt for that family in that moment," Schwartz said.
Schwartz was on the team that helped treat Soriano. He said her case is extremely rare and wants pregnant women to know they shouldn't worry.
Schwartz said it appears that the coronavirus is not transferred from mom to baby in the womb and when it comes to breastfeeding, even COVID-19 positive moms can still breastfeed their newborns but should wear a mask.
He said the biggest issue they're seeing is families not adhering to social distancing when mom and newborn baby come home and the babies are getting the coronavirus.
"We are aware of children that were COVID negative where the mother was COVID negative and the baby subsequently became COVID positive and we believe that probably happened at home with asymptotic relatives that didn't know they had the virus that exposed the baby to the virus," Schwartz said.
Northwell Health has set up a hotline for pregnant mothers or mothers with newborns concerned about the coronavirus. You do not have to be a patient of Northwell to call: (833) 487-2273.
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