BEIJING — Lactating women diagnosed with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are advised not to breastfeed their infants, a Chinese obstetrician said on March 8 at a press conference.

According to the current available data, no novel coronavirus nucleic acid has been detected in the breast milk of infected puerperal, said Zhao Yangyu with Beijing-based Peking University Third Hospital.

However, it is still too early to give a clear answer on whether mothers with COVID-19 carry the virus in their breast milk due to the limited cases reported to date, Zhao noted.

In addition, there may also be a risk of contact transmission during breastfeeding, Zhao said, advising lactating women with confirmed COVID-19 infections to feed their infants with formula or other food instead of mother's milk.

Infected women can start breastfeeding after recovery, the obstetrician noted.