The impact of COVID-19 on the care of the newborn infants and families we serve is highly uncertain and rapidly changing.

VON and the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Neonatal Perinatal Medicine (SONPM) created a tool to help newborn care teams understand the impact of COVID-19 in their own units and more broadly in the neonatal community. Our goal is to inform local and national decision-making for program evaluation and quality improvement.

The audit is open to all hospitals caring for infants (regardless of VON membership). The audit will be conducted on a single day of your choice and you may choose to participate each audit window. The next audit will occur during the month of March 2021.

Aggregate reporting will appear on this page.

Participants reported 4 confirmed cases and 84 suspected cases in mother-baby rooms, Level I, II, III, or IV units, or special units for COVID-19. The numbers of newborns with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 were low at most centers, ranging from 0 to 7.

Many centers are experiencing shortages of equipment, testing and personnel that significantly affect the quality of care for newborn infants and families: 36% experienced at least one shortage.

Overall, 18% reported requiring proof of testing or vaccination from families, and 2% from staff, to enter a newborn unit. Most centers will not require vaccination (66%) — 12% will require vaccination and 22% reported unknown.

Join the discussion on our Community Forum and interactive webinars to explore more audit results and address other questions about the impact on newborn care.

Back to all VON COVID-19 Resources