A baby born in Florida has become the first in the world to be born with COVID-19 antibodies after her mom, a frontline health worker, was administered the Moderna vaccine while she was 36 weeks pregnant. According to WPBF, the baby girl was born in late January in Palm Beach County.
“To our knowledge, this was the first in the world that was reported of a baby being born with antibodies after a vaccination,” Dr. Paul Gilbert told the outlet.
The baby was born three weeks after her mom received the COVID-19 vaccine.
“We tested the baby’s cord to see if the antibodies in the mother passed to the baby which is something, we see happen with other vaccines given during pregnancy,” Gilbert said.
This is promising news that could protect children from COVID-19, Rudnick pointed out.
“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,” Rudnick said.
A study conducted in Israel has also shown that vaccinated pregnant women could pass immunity to their babies. Researchers at Jerusalem’s Hadassah-University Medical Center detected antibodies in all 20 women and their babies through placental transfer after the women received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine during their third trimester of pregnancy.
The study did not specify whether the babies were in utero when the blood samples were taken to determine immunity.
“Our findings highlight that vaccination of pregnant women may provide maternal and neonatal protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection,” the researchers wrote, although they did add that additional research would need to be conducted due to the study’s small sample size. The study has also yet to be peer-reviewed.
Last month, Pfizer and BioNTech said they had launched a 4,000-volunteer international study to evaluate the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine in pregnant women.
Currently, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that pregnant women may choose to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
“Getting vaccinated is a personal choice. Any of the currently authorized COVID-19 vaccines can be offered to people who are pregnant or breastfeeding. If you have questions about getting vaccinated, a conversation with your healthcare provider might help, but is not required,” the CDC notes on its website.
