A Florida mother became the first woman in the United States to give birth to a baby with COVID-19 antibodies.
The anonymous woman, from Palm Beach County, received a dose of the Modern coronavirus vaccine a few weeks before delivery.
In January, the baby was found to have antibodies against the infection that can normally remain in the body for several years.
“As far as we know, this was the first time in the world that a baby was born with antibodies after a vaccination,” pediatrician Dr. Paul Gilbert told the local WPBF station.
A Florida mother, who received a dose of the Modern coronavirus vaccine, gave birth to the first baby in the United States known to be born with COVID-19 antibodies (archive image)
Doctors found that the baby had IgG antibodies, proteins that the body makes in the final stages of the infection and that can remain in the body for months or years. In the photo: syringes and a vial of the Modern COVID-19 vaccine are seen at a drive-thru vaccination site in Wildwood, Florida, March 2021
Previous studies have shown that pregnant women vaccinated against influenza and TDaP (tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough) passes antibodies through the placenta to your babies.
While it is expected to be true for the COVID-19 vaccine, research has been limited on the subject.
A small recent study in Israel found that antibodies to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were detected in all 20 women who received both doses during the third trimester, as well as in their newborns.
When coronavirus vaccines began to be launched, the World Health Organization warned that they should not be used in pregnant women due to a lack of evidence on safety and efficacy.
The organization later reversed its advice and said that vaccines can be administered to pregnant women safely.
At a news conference last month, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease specialist, said there were no “warning signs” after at least 20,000 American pregnant women were vaccinated against COVID-19.
In the new pre-printed article, the authors say that the mother, who is a first-rate health professional, was 36 weeks pregnant when she received her first dose of the Moderna vaccine.
Three weeks later, in late January, the woman gave birth to a healthy baby girl, and doctors collected blood samples to see if the mother had transmitted antibodies to the newborn.
“We tested the baby’s umbilical cord to see if the mother’s antibodies passed to the baby, which is something, we see it happening with other vaccines given during pregnancy,” said Gilbert.
Tests showed that the baby had IgG antibodies, proteins that the body makes in the final stages of the infection and that can remain for up to months and possibly years after the person has recovered.
The authors claim that their study has been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal and is currently awaiting publication.
“This is a small case where there will be thousands upon thousands of babies born to mothers who have been vaccinated in the coming months,” the woman’s other pediatrician, Dr. Chad Rudnick, told WPBF.
An average of more than two million people every day are being vaccinated against COVID-19
As of Wednesday morning, 21.7% of the US population received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 11.8% are fully vaccinated
The woman received her second dose after delivery in compliance with the recommended 28-day period for the Modern vaccine.
Pediatricians say more studies are needed to determine how long neutralizing antibodies remain in a baby’s body.
The pre-printed article also indicates that the level of antibodies in the baby was quite low, which means that newborns may be at risk of infection with the virus.
“Additional studies have to determine how long this protection will last,” Rudnick told WPBF.
“They have to determine at what level of protection or how many antibodies a baby needs to be circulating to give them protection.”
In the document, doctors recommend that national pregnancy and breastfeeding registries be created so that the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine can be studied in pregnant women and their babies.
As of Wednesday morning, 21.7 percent of the US population received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 11.8 percent are fully vaccinated.
An average of more than two million people every day receive gunshots.
