A woman in south Florida who was vaccinated with one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine while pregnant passed on her Covid antibodies to her baby who was born three weeks later.
The mother, who is a healthcare worker on the frontlines, received her first dose of the Moderna vaccine in January when she was 36 weeks pregnant. Once she gave birth, an analysis of her newborn’s blood showed that the Covid-19 antibodies were present at the time of delivery.
A research team from Florida Atlantic University analyzing the occurrence states that this is the “first known case of an infant with SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies detectable in cord blood after maternal vaccination,” and concluded that “there is potential for protection and infection risk reduction from SARS-CoV-2 with maternal vaccination”.
Of course, further studies are needed to be able to determine if the protection is long-lasting, but these findings are nonetheless promising. The hope is that mothers who are vaccinated during their pregnancy give birth to babies who are resilient to the virus.
