Covid-19: the birth of a baby carrying antibodies in Singapore

After being infected with Covid-19 last March, Céline Ng-Chan, a young woman from Singapore, gave birth to her baby in early November. The mother and the doctors were then surprised to discover that the newborn baby had antibodies against Covid-19. A phenomenon that scientists still find it difficult to explain today.

A young woman has given birth in Singapore to a newborn baby with antibodies to Covid-19. While returning from a trip to Europe last March, Céline Ng-Chan, 31, six weeks pregnant, tested positive for the coronavirus during. She was subsequently hospitalized for two weeks because she presented with mild feverish symptoms.

Months later, the young woman ends up giving birth to her son named Aldrin. Not only was the newborn baby in perfect health, he also had antibodies against the coronavirus. In an interview with the Singaporean daily The Straits Time, the young woman says ” My pediatrician said the antibodies I had developed against Covid-19 are gone, but Aldrin has them. My doctor assumes I transferred my antibodies to him during pregnancy “. One thing is certain, Céline’s case raises all the questions doctors have about the transmission of the virus from mother to child.

On its page dedicated to questions and answers on Covid-19, pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, the WHO writes: ” We still do not know if a pregnant woman with COVID-19 can transmit the virus to the fetus during pregnancy or to the baby during childbirth. To date, the presence of the virus has not been observed in samples of fluid in which the fetus is bathed or in breast milk. “.

According to Associate Professor Tan Hak Koon, President of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Division of the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) in Singapore, the number of pregnant women infected with Covid-19 remains very low and none has not given birth yet. Anyway, Céline Ng-Chan’s example shows that it is still possible that antibodies can pass from mother to child.