COVID Antibodies Pass to Babies in the Womb: Study

(Journalist)
– Researchers have found that anti-coronavirus antibodies are transferred from mother to child during pregnancy, CNN reports. Researchers tested more than 1,500 women who gave birth at a hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and found 83 had antibodies to the coronavirus. The newborns of 72 of the women have also tested positive for antibodies, the study published Friday found. “What we found is pretty consistent with what we’ve learned from studies of other viruses,” said Scott E. Hensley, one of the study’s authors. New York Times, adding that it appears that pregnant women transfer more antibodies to their babies if they are infected earlier in their pregnancy. It is not yet known whether the amount of antibodies given to a baby is enough to prevent it from contracting COVID-19.

And more research is needed to determine whether the antibodies generated by vaccines will behave like those resulting from COVID-19 infection. But because babies of women infected earlier in pregnancy had higher levels of antibodies, Hensley told the Times, vaccinating pregnant women earlier may offer better protection. “But the studies actually analyzing vaccination in pregnant women need to be completed,” he says. Mark Turrentine, a doctor who is part of a COVID expert panel, says it is “plausible” that a vaccine will provide protection to pregnant women and their newborns, adding that “this study highlights that the The inclusion of pregnant women in clinical trials such as the Covid-19 vaccine is essential. (Read more stories about COVID-19.)