Pregnancy COVID-19 Vaccination or Booster Shields Infants for 6 Months: Study

Expecting mothers who get an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine or booster during their term can provide their newborns with protection against symptomatic COVID-19 for at least six months post-birth, a recent study suggests. The published findings in the Pediatrics journal emphasize the importance of expectant mothers getting the COVID-19 vaccine in order to afford their newborns strong immunity until they are old enough to receive the vaccine.

For infants under six months of age, COVID-19 vaccines are currently not on offer. Hence, until it’s age-appropriate for infants to be vaccinated, vaccination in pregnant women provides a form of passive protection against symptomatic infection during early infancy, note the researchers in the study.

A previous study from MOMIv-Vax indicated that expectant mothers, post-receiving two doses of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, developed antibodies that were evident in their newborns’ cord blood. The inference was that the infants may have some form of protection against COVID-19 during the phase which they are too young to be vaccinated. The longevity of such antibody presence in infants, however, was uncertain.

The claim suggesting that maternal vaccination provides some immunity transfer to the unborn child is now backed by evidence, mentioned Chad Rudnick, a pediatrician at Florida Atlantic University and a contributing author to the study.

In the latest subset of the study, data from 475 infants whose mothers were pregnant and part of the MOMI-Vax study was analyzed. Of these, 271 infants had mothers who received two doses of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy, and 204 were born to mothers who additionally received a booster dose.

In addition to pregnancy and birth data, the infants were assessed during at least one follow-up visit in their initial six months. The researchers also obtained information regarding any COVID-19 symptoms from the parents. Throughout the study, none of the infants needed hospitalization for COVID-19.

The study found that newborns with high antibody levels at birth were better protected against COVID-19 during their first six months. Infants born to mothers who received two vaccine doses had a strong response at birth. Those born to mothers who also received a booster shot during pregnancy had both elevated levels of antibodies at birth and fortified protection against COVID-19 in their follow-up visits, stated a press release from the National Institute of Health.

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises older children and adults to maintain their COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters, the findings of this study demonstrate the benefits of maternal vaccinations for newborns unable to receive the vaccine themselves.