More and more studies praise the protective role of vaccination against COVID-19 in pregnancy, a protection that could also pass to fetuses. According to recent research by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), messenger RNA-type vaccines – such as Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna – can protect newborns up to six months of age from being admitted for this disease .
The results of the study, released in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), provide more scientific evidence on the benefits of vaccination against coronavirus during pregnancy, since contracting the disease during this stage can lead to serious health problems for both mother and baby.
Specifically, it was observed that mRNA vaccines were on average 61% effective in preventing hospitalizations in babies up to six months of age. However, this percentage could be higher or lower depending on what part of the pregnancy the dose against COVID-19 was administered.
Up to 80% protection for the baby in vaccinated pregnant women
Thus, it was found that pregnant women obtained the greatest benefits when the drug was injected late in pregnancy. Therefore, if the woman received the vaccine after 21 weeks of pregnancy, that is, more or less the equator, she had 80% protection for the baby, while if she received it before pregnancy, the effectiveness was only of 32%.
“Among babies with COVID-19 admitted to the ICU, 88% were born to mothers who were not vaccinated before or during pregnancy”
The tests were carried out on 379 babies who were admitted to hospitals in the United States, of which 176 had a positive diagnosis of COVID-19 and 203 were hospitalized for other causes. Only one of the babies died, and it belonged to the group in which the mothers were not vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2.
“Most of the babies, actually 84%, who were hospitalized with COVID-19 were born to people who were not vaccinated during pregnancy. And what is more worrying, they found that among babies with COVID-19 who were admitted to the ICU, 88% were born to mothers who were not vaccinated before or during pregnancy,” said Dr. Dana Meaney-Delman, a of the study authors.
The doctor has stressed the importance of pregnant women or even those women who are thinking of conceiving being vaccinated against the coronavirus, because although it is not yet known for sure if the antibodies generated can cross the placenta to the fetus –they believe so– I know that it is known that it could protect the mother from moderate or severe COVID, which has been associated with an increased risk of preterm birth, pregnancy complications, or even stillbirth.
“The CDC recommends that women who are pregnant, are breastfeeding, are trying to become pregnant now, or may become pregnant in the future, get vaccinated and stay up-to-date with vaccination against COVID-19,” the researchers stressed. the study.
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