According to a new study, mothers who receive a COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy provide strong protection against the disease to their babies. This adds to the body of evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine is important for pregnant mothers.
Furthermore, there is solid evidence that the vaccines are safe for pregnant mothers while protecting the mother and developing fetus from harm from the disease. The benefits are overwhelming.
In this post, I will examine the newly published article that provides robust and rigorous evidence that mothers who receive the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy provide strong protection to their newborn babies.
COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy paper
In a paper published on 15 February 2021 in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), researchers studied 379 infants younger than six months who were hospitalized between 1 July 2021 and 17 January 2022. The Delta, followed by the Omicron, variants were predominant during the time of the study.
The infants were admitted to one of 20 children’s hospitals in 17 states. The researchers compared 176 infants admitted with a positive COVID-19 PCR test compared to a control group of 203 infants with a negative PCR test.
Here are some of the key results:
- 16% of mothers of infants admitted with COVID-19 were vaccinated during pregnancy compared to 32% of mothers of control infants.
- Vaccinations with two doses of the mRNA vaccine (either Pfizer or Moderna) were 61% effective at preventing hospitalization of infants.
- 18% of COVID-19 infants were non-Hispanic black compared to 9% of control.
- 34% of COVID-19 infants were Hispanic compared to 28% of control.
- A total of 24% of infants with COVID-19 were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) including the baby of an unvaccinated mother who required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).
- Two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines given after 20 weeks of gestation were 80% effective compared to only 32% effective when given before that date.
- One infant in the unvaccinated group died.
The researchers suggest that there was a greater transfer of maternal antibodies closer to birth which provided stronger protection to the newborn baby. However, the authors cautioned that more research would be required to confirm this hypothesis.
In addition, the study was too small to determine if there was any effect on the infant if the mother received a booster during pregnancy.
The authors concluded:
Completion of a 2-dose mRNA COVID-19 vaccination series during pregnancy might help prevent COVID-19 hospitalization among infants aged <6 months.
Summary
This is more robust, rigorous, and repeated evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy is important for both the mother and baby. And despite this evidence, uptake of the vaccine during pregnancy is lagging. In this study, only 32% of the pregnant mothers in the control group had received both doses of the vaccine compared to a far worse 16% for the group whose children were admitted to the hospital for treatment of COVID-19.
I hate to keep beating this drum, but the evidence is that mothers who choose to be protected with the vaccine have better pregnancy outcomes. And now we have evidence that it also protects her newborn baby.
I know that there are ridiculous claims about the COVID-19 vaccines floating out there, most of which are based on junk science, but if you are a pregnant mother, the real science says the vaccine protects you and your baby. That should take precedence over anything else.
I will keep beating this drum. Protect your baby.
Citations
- Halasa NB, Olson SM, Staat MA, Newhams MM, Price AM, Boom JA, Sahni LC, Cameron MA, Pannaraj PS, Bline KE, Bhumbra SS, Bradford TT, Chiotos K, Coates BM, Cullimore ML, Cvijanovich NZ, Flori HR, Gertz SJ, Heidemann SM, Hobbs CV, Hume JR, Irby K, Kamidani S, Kong M, Levy ER, Mack EH, Maddux AB, Michelson KN, Nofziger RA, Schuster JE, Schwartz SP, Smallcomb L, Tarquinio KM, Walker TC, Zinter MS, Gilboa SM, Polen KN, Campbell AP, Randolph AG, Patel MM; Overcoming COVID-19 Investigators; Overcoming COVID-19 Network. Effectiveness of Maternal Vaccination with mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine During Pregnancy Against COVID-19-Associated Hospitalization in Infants Aged <6 Months – 17 States, July 2021-January 2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022 Feb 18;71(7):264-270. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7107e3. PMID: 35176002.
Lifetime lover of science, especially biomedical research. Spent years in academics, business development, research, and traveling the world shilling for Big Pharma. I love sports, mostly college basketball and football, hockey, and baseball. I enjoy great food and intelligent conversation. And a delicious morning coffee!
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