A Singaporean coronavirus study revealed that babies born from COVID-19 infected mothers are likely to be born with COVID-19 antibodies, which could provide immunity to them at birth. But researchers said that they are not yet sure what type of protection it gives the babies and how long it will last.
The researchers studied 16 pregnant infected women, of which five of them successfully given birth before their study's publication. They noted that all the newborns exhibited detectable levels of coronavirus antibodies in their blood.
Unfortunately, two women have lost their babies, and one experienced a miscarriage, which might have been caused by the complications brought by the COVID-19 infection.
Babies Born with COVID-19 Antibodies
When the body gets infected by the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the body's immune system reacts to protect it by creating neutralizing antibodies that bind to the spike protein to prevent infection. This is the same mechanism used in developing vaccines that teaches the immune system how to respond to COVID-19.
The protection might last longer due to the B and T cells patrolling the blood even after the antibodies disappear because it retains the memory of the virus.
The study from Singapore showed that babies born from infected mothers have detectable levels of COVID-19 antibodies, but it remains unclear if the baby is immune to the virus or how long it will last, Strait Times reported.
"However, it is still unknown whether the presence of these antibodies in a newborn baby confers a degree of protection against Covid-19 infection, much less the duration of protection," Associate Professor Tan Hak Koon, KKH's chairman at the division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology said.
Others believe that immunity from the infection will last for at least a year. But, researchers said that a lot of time is needed to make such determinations. They said that these babies whose mothers survived the coronavirus while being pregnant could be immune from COVID-19 from the moment they are born.
No Babies Received the Virus From Their Mothers
The researchers studied 16 pregnant women who suffered mild cases of COVID-19, but those with a higher body mass index suffered the severe form of the infection.
Five of these women gave birth to babies that have detectable levels of antibodies but none received the virus from their mothers, BGR reported. Also, none of the women died, but two of them have lost their babies while one suffered a miscarriage. They believe that COVID-19 complications are to blame for the miscarriage.
The researchers said that the fact that the babies did not receive the infection from their mothers is reassuring. They added that this demonstrates that although the women were pregnant, the incidence and severity of COVID-19 among the women parallels the general trend of the population.
Check out more news and information on COVID-19 on Science Times.
