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A Florida baby may be the first reported case with COVID-19 antibodies from its mother’s vaccine.
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COVID-positive mothers can also transmit antibodies to their babies in the womb.
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More research is needed on vaccines during pregnancy.
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A girl born three weeks after her mother received the first dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine has antibodies against the virus, reported a pre-printed February article.
After receiving the injection, the mother, a health worker in Florida, developed COVID-19 antibodies.
Tests have revealed that these antibodies have passed through the placenta to offer some potential protection to your future child, according to the Florida Atlantic University authors.
Although previous reports have shown how mothers who took COVID-19 can give birth to babies with antibodies, the authors believe they are the first to record how vaccines during pregnancy can do the same.
It is not clear how protective or long-lasting antibodies are
The authors Dr. Paul Gilbert and Dr. Chad Rudnick called their report a lucky “opportunity study” since they were able to find and track a pregnant person who never tested positive for COVID, but received the vaccine at the end of pregnancy and at the beginning of getting out of bed.
When the baby – “a vigorous, healthy and full-term girl”, according to the newspaper – was born, doctors tested umbilical cord blood for antibodies produced with the vaccine, along with other typical tests, such as blood type.
They were able to detect COVID-19 IgG antibodies (the type that indicates recovery), suggesting that the baby has some protection against the virus, although it is unclear how long or how long it will last. Future research should illuminate whether there is an ideal time for a pregnant person to be vaccinated to maximize protection against the virus for their child.
The authors say their results were expected based on what is known about how the vaccine, and others recommended during pregnancy, such as the flu vaccine, work.
Previous research has shown that COVID-19 antibodies appear to cross the placenta
Previous studies have suggested that COVID-positive mothers may transmit IgG antibodies against the virus to their fetuses in the womb.
A March 2020 article from six women who tested positive for the virus in childbirth, for example, found that five had high levels of IgG antibodies, although none had COVID-19.
An October case report also describes a child born to an asymptomatic COVID-19 mother who had IgG antibodies, but a negative COVID test, demonstrating “passive immunity” across the placenta, the authors write.
And in November, a woman in Singapore who had COVID-19 in March 2020 gave birth to a baby who has antibodies that appear to be protective against the virus.
Still, more research is needed to understand how the severity of the disease affects antibody levels, how long infection during pregnancy plays a role and how strong and long-lasting babies’ supposed immunity is.
Even more research is needed on vaccinations in pregnant women, who were excluded from the first clinical trials. Although vaccines are expected to be safe during pregnancy and no increase in complications has been reported, it will take some time for the complete trial data to be collected and published.
Until then, most professional and governmental organizations encourage pregnant women to make the right decision for them, based on their occupation, transmission rates in their community, underlying health conditions and other factors.
Whatever the choice, “you must feel that your decision is respected,” said Dr. Jessica Madden, a pediatrician and neonatologist who serves as medical director at Aeroflow Breastpumps, formerly of Insider.
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