Katharina Buczek
The researchers ultimately found that approximately half of the infants with COVID-infected mothers developed antibodies or symptoms that indicated virus infection. The infection rates and symptoms among those infants were comparable to other household children but lower than other household adults.
The age of infants and a mother’s viral symptoms were also not associated with the risk of COVID-19 infection among infants who had COVID-positive mothers.
However, families that had a higher number of COVID-positive family members were more likely to have an infant who tested positive for the virus. In turn, Martin concluded that infant COVID-19 risk is much more dependent upon household infection rather than maternal COVID-positive status.
“Infant infection was mostly related to household infection. The risks to infants were not stemming solely from their mothers; there was just transmission in the household,” she underscored.
The study did have limitations– including overall sample size, self-reported symptoms, and self-administered blood sample collection. It is also virtually impossible to assess some COVID-19 symptoms among infants– including headache, loss of taste or smell– so the researchers added that parental perception and reports could have varied.
Still, the findings indicate that infants exposed to COVID-19 experience low risks, and caregivers should not change their routines should they test positive for the virus.
“Overall, the risks to COVID-19 exposed infants in this study were minimal. The findings support recommendations for infected mothers and other caregivers to continue infant care and feeding as usual, including nursing,” Martin concluded.
To read the study’s complete findings, which have since been published in Frontiers in Immunology, visit the link here.
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Last Year, She Was Last Seen Walking Around Her Tiny Town, But Then She Disappeared
