Impact of Prenatal SARS-CoV-2 Infection on Infant Emergency Department Visits and Hospitalization

Abstract

To better understand the impact of prenatal severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on infants, this study sought to compare the risk of hospital visits and of postnatal SARS-CoV-2 infection between infants born to mothers with and without prenatal SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this retrospective observational cohort study of 6871 mothers and their infants, overall rates of emergency department (ED) visits and hospital admissions in the first 90 days of life were similar for infants born to mothers with and without prenatal SARS-CoV-2 infection. Infants born to negative mothers were more likely than infants of positive mothers to be hospitalized after ED visit (relative risk: 3.76; 95% confidence interval: 1.27-11.13, P = .003). Five infants tested positive; all were born to negative mothers, suggesting that maternal prenatal SARS-CoV-2 infection may protect infants from postnatal infection. The lower acuity ED visits for infants born to mothers with prenatal SARS-CoV-2 infection may reflect a heightened level of concern among these mothers.