COVID-19-infected woman gives birth to child with antibodies in Singapore
Nov 29, 2020
Singapore, November 29 : A COVID-infected woman in Singapore has given birth to a child with antibodies against the virus.
Celine Ng-Chan, a resident of Singapore, was tested positive for COVID-19 in March when she was pregnant.
Quoting the paediatrician, The Strait Times said, Aldrin, the newborn child, was not only born free of Covid-19 but has antibodies against the virus.
"My doctor suspects I have transferred my Covid-19 antibodies to Aldrin during my pregnancy," the mother said.
Weighing 3.5 kg at birth, the child was born on November 7 at the National University Hospital (NUH) and looked exactly like his elder sister, Aldrina, 2, at her birth. "I have always wanted a boy as I resonate well with boys, having three younger brothers in my family," Ng-Chan added.
"I wasn't worried that Aldrin would get Covid-19 as I read that the transmission risk (from mother to the fetus) is very low," The Straits Times quoted Ng-Chan as saying.
"My pregnancy and birth was smooth sailing despite being diagnosed with Covid-19 in my first trimester, which is the most unstable stage of the pregnancy. I'm very blessed to have Aldrin and he came out very healthy. I feel relieved my Covid-19 journey is finally over now," she added.
Citing guidelines of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in the UK, Associate Professor Tan Hak Koon, chairman of the obstetrics and gynaecology division at KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), said that the current evidence suggests that transmission of virus from a pregnant woman to her baby during pregnancy or birth is uncommon.
