Study Finds Low Infection Rates, Morbidity Among Infants Born to Those With SARS-CoV-2 Infection

A new study has found that of infections among pregnant people during 2020, infant SARS-CoV-2 infections were rare. The study, “Six-month Outcomes of Infants Born to People with SARS-CoV-2 in Pregnancy,” which will be published in the December 2022 issue of Pediatrics (published online Nov. 1), found that of 6,601 exposed infants with laboratory information through six months of age, 1.0% tested positive, 19.1% tested negative, and 80.0% were not known to be tested for SARS-CoV-2. The incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the early postnatal period was higher when maternal infection occurred in the 14 days preceding delivery, and most infant infections occurred between 15 days and 6 months of age. The authors note that they generally found low morbidity among infants born to people with SARS-CoV-2 infection, but breastmilk feeding initiation was lower when maternal infection occurred in the 14 days before delivery and all-cause mortality was higher. Given a lack of vaccination and treatment options available to infants, strategies to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection throughout pregnancy and postpartum should be implemented to reduce SARS-CoV-2 infections among infants as well as their mothers, the authors conclude.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.