Baby born with Covid antibodies in Singapore
SINGAPORE: A Singaporean woman, who was infected coronavirus in March when she was pregnant, has given birth to a baby with antibodies against the virus, offering a new clue as to whether the infection can be transferred from mother to child.
The baby was born this month without Covid-19 but with the virus antibodies, the Straits Times newspaper reported on Sunday, citing the mother. “My doctor suspects I have transferred my Covid-19 antibodies to him during my pregnancy,” Celine Ng-Chan told the paper. Ng-Chan had been mildly ill from the disease and was discharged from hospital after two-and-a-half weeks, the Straits Times said.
The World Health Organization says it is not yet known whether a pregnant woman with Covid-19 can pass the virus to her foetus or baby during pregnancy or delivery.
To date, the active virus has not been found in samples of fluid around the baby in the womb or in breast milk.
Doctors in China have reported the detection and decline over time of Covid-19 antibodies in babies born to women with the coronavirus disease, according to an article published in October in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Transmission of the new coronavirus from mothers to newborns is rare, doctors from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center reported in October .
China said import applications from Chilean seafood producer Pesquera Isla Del Rey SA will be suspended for one week after a nucleic acid test on the packaging of a batch of frozen crab showed positive results for the pathogen.
South Korean authorities announced a ban on year-end parties and some music lessons on Sunday and said public saunas and some cafes must also close after coronavirus infections surged.
Hong Kong has reported 115 new infections, the first time it has seen cases in the triple digits since August 2. The government on Sunday announced that classes at kindergarten, primary and secondary schools will be shut for the rest of the year in light of the situation.
The UK government signed a deal for a further 2 million doses of Moderna Inc’s vaccine candidate, bringing the total to 7mn. The government said it has now secured 357mn vaccine doses from 7 different developers.
In the US, San Francisco followed Los Angeles in imposing tighter restrictions as the country added 153,035 new cases on Saturday. New York City authorities shut down what they described as an illegal nightclub where almost 400 people broke social distancing rules to party.