A health care professional in Florida gave birth to a baby with Covid antibodies – the first known case of this happened after a person was vaccinated.
In a case that, according to experts, may have significant implications for efforts to combat the pandemic, it was reported that the woman had been vaccinated with the Modern vaccine when she was 36 weeks pregnant.
She gave birth three weeks ago, in January, a blood sample was taken from the girl and a DNA test was performed.
“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,” Palm Beach pediatrician Dr. Paul Gilbert told WPBF of Florida.
“As far as we know, this was the first time in the world reported about the birth of a baby with antibodies after vaccination.”
Gilbert and another Florida doctor, Dr. Chad Rudnick, wrote the findings in an online journal, medRxiv, which has yet to be evaluated by peers.
“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 studies need to determine how long this protection will last. They have to determine at what level of protection or how many antibodies a baby needs to be circulating to give them protection. “
He said scientists are still learning about how the vaccine interacts with pregnant women.
Some pharmaceutical companies have started to include pregnant women in their vaccine studies.