A Singaporean mom who beat COVID-19 while pregnant has given birth to a baby with antibodies against the virus, according to a report.
Celine Ng-Chang, 31, gave birth this month to the baby boy, who tested negative for the virus but did have the antibodies, the Straits Times reported.
“My doctor suspects I have transferred my COVID-19 antibodies to him during my pregnancy,” she told the newspaper.
When she was 10 weeks pregnant in March, Ng-Chang became sick with a mild case of the virus and was hospitalized for more than two weeks, the outlet reported.
“My pregnancy and birth was smooth sailing despite being diagnosed with Covid-19 in my first trimester, which is the most unstable stage of the pregnancy,” she said.
She said she was thrilled to deliver a “very healthy” boy named Aldrin on Nov. 7 at National University Hospital.
“It’s very interesting. His pediatrician said my COVID-19 antibodies are gone but Aldrin has COVID-19 antibodies,” she said.
Experts have said antibodies suggest that someone has developed an immune response to the virus, but it’s unclear how much protection they provide against infection.
There’s also little known about whether a pregnant woman with COVID-19 can pass the virus or antibodies to her newborn.
Researchers in the United Kingdom found that COVID-19 cases among newborns were rare — with just 66 newborns testing positive out of 10,000 births at hospitals from March 1 through April 30.
The World Health Organization, however, has said that there’s not enough evidence yet to prove that a pregnant woman can transmit the virus to her baby during pregnancy or delivery.
So far, the virus has not been found in samples of the fluid surrounding the baby in the womb or in breast milk, experts said.
With Post wires