Effects of the Omicron variant on perinatal outcomes in full-term neonates

Abstract

Background: Research of coronavirus disease (COVID-190 effects on newborns is ongoing. But the research of specific variant’s effects is none. This study analyzed the effects of the Omicron variant on the perinatal outcome of full-term newborns during the pandemic.Methods: Between December 2021 and April 2022, this study was conducted on all newborns who visited a single center. We investigated due to the Omicron maternal infection maternal pregnancy complications, delivery methods, birth week, Apgar scores, neonatal resuscitation program requirement, whether respiratory support was required until 12 h after childbirth, suspicious infectious status, and mortality depending on maternal Omicron infection.Results: A total of 127 neonates were enrolled, and 12 were excluded based on exclusion criteria. Sixteen neonates were born to mothers with a history of Omicron COVID-19, and 99 were born to non-infectious mothers. All infected mothers became infected in the 3rd trimester. Of the 16 mothers, seven had symptomatic, and four met the isolation criteria, according to Korean guidelines. The birth weight of newborns to mothers with COVID history and those without was 2.958 ± 0.272 kg and 3.064 ± 0.461 kg (p=0.049), respectively. The 5-min Apgar score at childbirth was 9.29 ± 0.756 and 9.78 ± 0.460, for neonates born to symptomatic and asymptomatic mothers (p=0.019), respectively. When compared with or without maternal self-isolation, patients requiring needing respiratory support 12 h after birth demonstrated a significant difference (p=0.014; OR, 10.275). Additionally, the presence or absence of transient tachypnea of the newborn showed a significant value (p=0.010; OR 11.929).Conclusions: Owing to Omicron COVID-19, newborns were born with low birth weight, low 5-min Apgar scores, and required respiratory support until 12 h after birth.

Effects of intrauterine exposure to SARS-CoV-2 on infants’ development: A rapid review and meta-analysis

“…The immunological and in ammatory events related to SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy are complex and not completely understood [8]. Many factors, such as the placenta maturity, the developmental stage of the fetus's central nervous system at the moment of maternal infection, the viral load and variants, and the COVID-19 clinical presentation, would theoretically modify the developmental outcomes [8, 49,52,53].…”