Bruno, who was recently born on Ibiza, Spain, became the first newborn born with COVID-19 antibodies in the country because his mother was vaccinated against the novel coronavirus during pregnancy. Spanish experts said in an interview that this case opens the door to indirectly help babies achieve COVID-19 immunity through vaccination of pregnant women.
Bruno’s mother was vaccinated against the novel coronavirus in the late pregnancy. After Bruno was born, the hospital confirmed Bruno had COVID-19 antibodies after his umbilical cord blood test. Glendal, an observer of the World Health Organization and deputy director of the Madrid Hospital Management Center, said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency on the 2nd that the protective effect of antibodies on Bruno is comparable to that of direct vaccination.
He said: “The antibodies the child has are passed on to him by the mother during pregnancy. These antibodies will last for some time, and although we don’t know how long it will take, now the baby is protected, just like he had been vaccinated.”
Grandall also revealed that the country does not currently mandate a coronavirus vaccine for pregnant women because “although there is no evidence that vaccination is harmful to pregnant women, there is no sufficient argument for the safety of the vaccine”. But he also said that because the pregnant women belong to the group at higher risk of COVID-19 infection, they will not be banned if they voluntarily apply for vaccination.
Cordo Caboneiro, director of obstetrics and gynecology at a hospital in San Sebastián, Spain, further explained the transmission of COVID-19 antibodies between pregnant women and newborns from immunology. “The most surprising point of the study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology on the impact of COVID-19 on pregnant women is that 78% of newborns born to COVID-19 are immune to COVID-19,” he said.
If this theory is correct, in the future, newborns will be immune protected at the same time by inoculating pregnant women with a courier RNA-like coronavirus vaccine that does not carry the virus,” Kavolero said. Normally, the mother produces antibodies and passes them through the placenta to the fetus, so that the baby is born with immunity to fight against COVID-19.”
