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Pregnant Women Unlikely To Pass Coronavirus To Their Newborns, Harvard Study Finds

CAMBRIDGE (CBS) -- A new study from Havard Medical School finds pregnant women are unlikely to pass the coronavirus to their newborns.

Researchers looked at 127 pregnant women admitted to three Boston hospitals in 2020. About half tested positive for COVID-19, but none of their babies did.

The study found the virus in the mothers' respiratory fluids, but not in the bloodstream or placenta.

Most of the women who had the virus developed antibodies, but the transfer of those antibodies to newborns through the placenta was significantly lower than the transfer of anti-flu antibodies, the study found.

The researchers said their work suggests that pregnant women are "a key population to consider in vaccine rollouts."

 

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