(STUDY FINDS) — DALLAS — Previous research shows the chance of pregnant women infecting their newborns with COVID-19 is very low. A new report from Texas, however, is sparking fresh concerns for expecting mothers. Doctors say a baby was infected with the coronavirus while still inside the womb.
A team from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center believe the baby girl is the first case of “in utero transmission” during the pandemic. The study in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal reports the child was born prematurely to a mother who tested positive for COVID-19. The child began to display symptoms of the virus within two days of her birth.
Researchers say the majority of women with coronavirus have their babies without passing on the illness before, during, or after delivery. In this case, the study finds evidence that virus cells can infect the placenta — the organ that provides oxygen and nutrients to a developing fetus.
