(Newser)
– Researchers have found that coronavirus antibodies are passed from mother to child during pregnancy, CNN reports. The researchers tested more than 1,500 women who gave birth at a Pennsylvania hospital in Philadelphia and found that 83 had antibodies to the coronavirus. The study published Friday found that babies of 72 of these women also tested positive for antibodies. “What we found is quite consistent with what we learned from studies of other viruses,” explains Scott E. Hensley, one of the study’s authors. New York News, adding that it appears that pregnant women transfer more antibodies to their babies if they are infected before their pregnancy. It is not yet known whether the amount of antibodies passed to a baby is enough to prevent them from suffering from COVID-19.
And more research is needed to determine whether antibodies generated by vaccines will behave like those resulting from a COVID-19 infection. But because babies of women who became infected before pregnancy had higher levels of antibodies, Hensley explains Time, vaccinating pregnant women earlier can offer more protection. “But studies analyzing vaccination among pregnant women need to be completed,” she says. Mark Turrentine, a doctor who is part of a group of experts at COVID, says it is “plausible” that a vaccine will provide protection to pregnant mothers and their newborns, adding that this study shows that the inclusion of pregnant women in clinical trials such as Covid- Vaccine 19 is essential. “(Read more COVID-19 stories.)