A woman in Florida gave birth to what is believed to be the first child with COVID-19 antibodies after receiving a vaccine during pregnancy.
The woman, who works on the health frontline, was called in to receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at 36 weeks pregnant and gave birth to a healthy girl 3 weeks later, reports the Guardian. The antibodies were found from the moment of delivery, after analysis of the umbilical cord blood.
“As far as we know, this was the first time in the world that a baby was born with antibodies after vaccination,” said pediatrician Paul Gilbert in a statement to the WPBF.
The findings were reported by Gilbert and Chad Rudnick in a new prepress study (meaning that it has not yet been peer-reviewed).
The article explains that the safety and efficacy of influenza vaccination for pregnant women has been well studied in terms of protecting the newborn by placental antibody transfer. However, not much is known about COVID-19 vaccinations and the transfer of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies during pregnancy, but a similar type of protection should be expected, say Gilbert and Rudnick.
“We tested … the baby’s blood, to see if the mother’s antibodies passed on to the baby, which is something we see happening with other vaccines given during pregnancy,” Gilbert told WPBF.
After testing the baby’s umbilical cord blood at birth, doctors found SARS-CoV-2 antibodies present, noting in the prepress: “So, there is potential for protection and reduction of the risk of SARS-CoV- infection 2 with maternal vaccination. ”
Interestingly, a previous study had found COVID-19 antibodies present in the breast milk of mothers who recovered from the infection, speculating that it might be possible to transfer antibodies to a newborn through this mechanism.
However, the study authors emphasize that it is currently not known to what extent antibodies protect the newborn or when during pregnancy it would be better to vaccinate to provide the best immune transfer to the fetus.
“This is a small case in which there will be thousands upon thousands of babies born to mothers who have been vaccinated in the coming months,” said Rudnick.
Further investigation should be carried out to see if antibodies are really prevalent in most babies born to mothers and pregnant women who received the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as to see if there may be any differences depending on which vaccine is received.
To conclude, the authors “ask other researchers to create pregnancy and breastfeeding records, as well as to conduct studies of the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant and lactating women and their children”.
For more information on COVID-19, check out the IFLScience COVID-19 hub, where you can track the current status of the pandemic, the progress of vaccine development and more information about the disease.