A recent study published in the journal JAMA Network Open showed that babies born to mothers who had mild or asymptomatic COVID during pregnancy are normal. The findings of the study are based on results from a comprehensive assessment of brain development in neonates enrolled in the study.

To make the study COVID-safe, the researchers tweaked the existing technique for evaluating infants remotely, as the results of the developmental evaluation tool are generally taken in person. The researchers enrolled 407 infants from the US between the ages of 5 and 11 months. Overall, it was reported that a third of the infants in the study were born to mothers who had COVID during pregnancy.

Before the final assessment, each of the participating families received the same collection of baby toys and food items to assess and evaluate the newborns fine and gross motor skills consistently.

Additionally, the researchers also assessed the cognitive and language skills of the participants. The findings of the study revealed that babies whose mothers had mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 at any point during pregnancy were developing similarly to those whose mothers had never had COVID. 

(Source: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/health/mild-covid-during-pregnancy-does-not-slow-brain-development-in-babies-study-497020 )