Babies Born During Pandemic Have Lower Developmental Scores: Study

Matthew Carnes prepares to change diapers for his newborn daughter Evelina Carnes as his wife Breanna Llamas keeps watch in the postpartum unit at Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley, Calif., on March 30, 2021. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Babies who were born during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic had lower developmental scores compared to pre-pandemic babies, a study suggests.

According to research published on Jan. 4 in JAMA Pediatrics, COVID-19 infection during pregnancy doesn’t appear to affect an infant’s brain function, but the pandemic itself may be having an effect.