Q: Does vaccinating a mother during pregnancy protect the newborn from COVID?
A: Research shows that if a mother is vaccinated during pregnancy, then she can pass on life-saving antibodies to the newborn to help prevent newborn infections. New research shows this may be true for COVID-19, as well.
We know that the mother can pass on protective antibodies through the blood of the placenta. This real-world study shows that these antibodies do protect the infant. Infants born to mothers who received a two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccine during pregnancy had a 61% lower risk of being admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 in the first six months of life. The majority of the infants hospitalized with COVID-19 (84%) had mothers who were not vaccinated before or during pregnancy. Nearly a fourth of the sick infants were admitted to the intensive care unit, and 88% of those had unvaccinated mothers.
In addition to preventing complications during pregnancy (including premature labor) and preventing more severe COVID disease in the mother, this study shows that completion of a two-dose mRNA COVID-19 vaccination series during pregnancy might help prevent COVID-19 hospitalization among infants younger than six months. This is important news, given the recent rise in illness in younger ages, and as there is no vaccine that is currently approved for infants this young.
If you are not vaccinated, consult with an obstetrician about this opportunity.
Christopher Radpour is a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology with Galen OB/GYN and a member of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society.
Dr. Christopher Radpour/Photo courtesy Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society