COVID-19 transmission to babies before, during, and after birth rare, study finds – CTV
March 21, 2022
COVID-19 transmission to a newborn from the birthing parent is fewer than two per cent, according to a new systematic review study that analyzed data from more than 470 studies.
The study, led by researchers from the University of Birmingham, found that among more than 14,200 babies who were born to a parent infected with COVID-19, 1.8 per cent tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 using a PCR test. Data varied from region to region, however, with North American studies suggesting a 0.1 per cent positivity rate and studies from Latin America and the Caribbean suggesting a positivity rate of 3.2 per cent to 8.7 per cent.
No connection was found between nursing and infection among newborns, despite detection of the virus in a handful of breast milk samples, researchers said.
The paper, published this month in The BMJ, examined 206 cohort studies and 266 case series and case reports from major databases, preprint servers and other repositories from around the world, between Dec. 1, 2019 and Aug. 3, 2021. Nearly 29,000 pregnant individuals and more than 18,200 babies were included in these studies. The studies were all based on the original virus, and not on any of the variants of concern.
