A Florida woman was 36 weeks pregnant when she got the first dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccination, three weeks later, a baby girl was born with antibodies against the virus.
This is the first case of in-utero transfer of COVID-19 antibodies and is being considered a medical breakthrough.
Dr. Paul Gilbert, a pediatrician said “To our knowledge, this was the first in the world that was reported of a baby being born with antibodies after a vaccination.”
Gilbert And Rudnick Report
Dr. Paul Gilbert and Dr. Chad Rudnick, two pediatric doctors conducted a study on pregnant women to see if they could transfer antibodies to the unborn child.
They looked for volunteers who were eligible to participate in the same.
The pregnant woman who is a frontline healthcare worker in Florida developed antibodies after getting the first shot of the vaccine.
“We tested the baby’s cord blood, or the baby’s blood, to see if the antibodies in the mother passed to the baby, which is something we see happen with other vaccines given during pregnancy,” said Dr. Gilbert.
They reported in a preprint article that earlier cases of “maternal vaccination for Influenza and TDaP have been well studied in terms of safety and efficacy for protection of the newborn by the placental passage of antibodies” similarly they expected protection for the newborn baby after vaccination of the mother.
In the article, they also said that this was “the first known case of an infant with SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies detectable in cord blood after maternal vaccination,” and that the baby was “vigorous, healthy, full-term girl with normal newborn nursery course and subsequent well-infant evaluation.”
With their research, they also emphasized the need for extensive research on pregnant women and the transference of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.
Their paper has been accepted for publication in a journal.
Also Read: How To Register Senior Citizens On The CoWIN Portal For COVID Vaccine Registration
How Does Maternal Vaccination Work?
Maternal vaccination happens when antibodies are passed on to the fetus through the pregnant woman. This gives the unborn child passive immunity as they borrow it from their mother.
This immunity, which is passed via the placenta, provides protection for the baby and is possible in the last three months of the gestational period.
Other than passive immunity there is still no vaccination that is approved for children, therefore this study provides a way for the children to be less vulnerable to the disease.
Dr. Rudnick explained that “this is one small case in what will be thousands and thousands of babies born to mothers who have been vaccinated in the next several months,” but further researches can help provide “similar newborn protection.”
There is still further extensive research needed to exactly estimate the potency of maternal vaccination and how long it can last.
“They have to determine at what level of protection or how many antibodies does a baby need to have circulating in order to give them protection,” said the researchers.
Pharmaceutical companies have already begun to include pregnant women in vaccine studies.
It has been more than a year since the coronavirus pandemic but with the help of scientists and researchers, we are finally beginning to crack this virus.
Every new research is a step forward towards the ultimate solution.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: MedRXIV (Article by Dr. Paul Gilbert and Dr. Chad Rudnick), Science Insider
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