First two confirmed cases of the SARS-CoV-2 virus crossing the placenta of mothers and causing brain damage in the babies they were bearing were reported by the University of Miami.

The babies were born to young mothers who tested positive for the virus during their second trimester in 2020, during the peak of the pandemics Delta wave. 

Many viruses, including Cytomegalovirus, Rubella, HIV, and Zika has been shown to cross the placenta and cause embryonic brain damage. The SARS-CoV-2 virus has been found in adult brain tissue, and some researchers believe it may potentially harm prenatal brain tissue. 

 Seizures began on the first day of life for the babies, but they were not born with microcephaly, a disorder characterized by tiny head size. The two newborns tested negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus at birth, but their blood contained significant levels of COVID antibodies.

Both babies had significant developmental impairments, one dying at 13 months and the other died in hospice care

The virus was discovered in both moms′ placentas. An autopsy of the childs brain revealed the presence of the COVID virus, indicating that the damage was caused by direct infection. Both the mothers tested positive for the virus, but one had moderate symptoms and carried the baby to term, while the other was so ill that physicians had to deliver the baby at 32 weeks.

The researchers recommended that pregnant women get vaccinated against COVID. It is unclear if the damage sustained during pregnancy were exclusive to the Delta variation of SARS-CoV-2 or if they may have occurred with other Omicron-related variants.

 (Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/covid-caused-brain-damage-2-infants-infected-during-pregnancy-us-study-2023-04-06/)