Study: Newborns Get COVID-19 Protection From Previously Infected Moms

Protection against COVID-19 can be passed from pregnant mothers to their babies. A study conducted recently and published Friday in JAMA Pediatrics found that antibodies were transferred across the placenta in 72 out of 83 pregnant women — that’s 86% — who tested positive for COVID-19. The discovery was made by a team of researchers with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

According to The Week, the Philadelphia-based women who were infected earlier in their pregnancies gave birth to newborns with the highest concentrations of antibodies.

“What we have found is fairly consistent with what we have learned from studies of other viruses,” said Scott E. Hensley, Ph.D., a microbiologist and one of the senior authors of the study. Hensley said that vaccinating women earlier in pregnancy might offer more protective benefits, but actual studies need to be completed before drawing that conclusion, according to The New York Times.

However, a study published in December found that antibodies from natural COVID-19 infections crossed the placenta less efficiently than antibodies created by the flu or whooping cough vaccines. Since pregnant women were not included in clinical vaccine trials, scientists say they do not know if the COVID-19 vaccines will work the same way, although it is plausible that the vaccine will offer better protection to both mothers and their infants, according to the Times.