Alabama Newborn Was Placed in Isolation at Hospital after Nurse Tested Positive for COVID-19

A father of a newborn baby girl arrived at the hospital hoping to see his child but was told she had been placed in isolation after a nurse tested positive for coronavirus.

Brandon Waltman is meant to be in a celebratory mood with the arrival of his newborn baby girl, Emmarie Grace, but instead is hoping that the worst doesn't happen.

This is after the father visited the Alabama hospital to see Emmarie, who was meant to be at the neonatal intensive care unit of the medical facility, only to be told that she was now in isolation.

A nurse at the hospital tested positive to the widespread virus, putting others, including Brandon's daughter, at risk of infection. Hence, the baby had to be placed in isolation as a precautionary measure.

Brandon is, however, not surprised by the development. According to him, just following the news about the coronavirus outbreak was enough reason for him not to be shocked. He said:

"I felt like it was inevitable."

Emmarie was born last month but remained in Alabama hospital's ICU because she had feeding issues. The hospital is also taking steps to lessen people's exposure to the virus.

One of the steps they are taking to do this is to reduce the number of hospital visitors at a time, meaning that they would allow only one visitor per patient at a given time.

Brandon hopes to have his daughter back so that he can take her back home to Mississippi.

In a statement, the associate vice president for Marketing and Communications at USA Health, Gary Mans, confirmed that a nurse had contracted the virus at the hospital, although he failed to mention the nurse's department.

Mans, however, said that USA Health remains adamant in its will to implement state and national guidelines, to ensure that all patients, healthcare providers, and workers are protected from the virus.

Meanwhile, Brandon hopes to have his daughter back so that he can take her back home to Mississippi. He said that in times like this, it would be better if his family were at home, away from contact with outsiders.

He also believes that Emery, who is yet to show any signs of the virus, would test negative to the disease, although the hospital hasn't, however, told him when she could be released.

In a related development in New York City, a 3-week-old infant became the youngest person to test positive to coronavirus. The baby was treated at NYU Winthrop Hospital for several days.

The infant has been released from the hospital and is now recovering in her home. Coronavirus is spreading quickly across the world, with many countries now in lockdown as a result of the disease.