A COVID-19 infection during pregnancy can leave an imprint on the fetus, according to a growing body of research, though it’s unclear whether that effect is long-lasting.
Two studies published last month show that the disease, particularly when it’s severe, can affect the immune activity at the time of birth and that boys may be affected differently than girls.
It’s far too early to know whether babies exposed to COVID-19 during pregnancy will be any different from those born without that exposure, said Dr. Andrea Edlow, a maternal-medicine specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, who helped lead one of the studies.
Now watch the narrative gradually shift to vaccinated mothers. “You probably had Covid but were asymptomatic because you were fully vaccinated.”
