A health worker who received a coronavirus vaccine gave birth to the first baby known to be born with COVID-19 antibodies.
The unnamed health worker passed her COVID-19 antibodies to her newborn daughter in utero, a local NBC affiliate reported. The mother was 36-weeks pregnant when she was administered the first dose of the Moderna vaccine.
“To our knowledge, this was the first in the world that was reported of a baby being born with antibodies after a vaccination,” pediatrician Paul Gilbert said.
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Gilbert said the baby’s blood was tested for COVID-19 antibodies after she was born, adding that past research shows infants have been born with antibodies after their pregnant mothers received vaccines for other viruses.
“This is one small case in what will be thousands and thousands of babies born to mothers who have been vaccinated over the next several months,” pediatrician Chad Rudnick said.
COVID-19 antibodies offer a buffer of protection against future infections from the same virus, though studies show the antibodies dissipate over time. A study of approximately 20,200 participants conducted from May 27 to Dec. 4 in the United Kingdom revealed 88% of adults infected by COVID-19 maintained antibodies for six months after initially contracting the disease.
Rudnick added further research is necessary to determine “what level of protection or how many antibodies does a baby need to have circulating in order to give them protection.”
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As researchers continue to study the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines among children, the Food and Drug Administration recommends children under the age of 16 avoid the Pfizer vaccine and those younger than 18 avoid the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
