Pregnant women should definitely be vaccinated against Covid-19. You have an increased risk of serious illnesses. Pregnancy complications and premature births can also result. According to Norwegian scientists, there is now an additional argument in favor of immunization against SARS-CoV-2: the vaccination apparently also partially protects the babies from infection.
Ellen Carlsen of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health’s Center for Fertility and her co-authors recently published a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association using data from the National Health Registry. It also includes information about all newborns. The data of the babies (date of birth between September 1, 2021 and February 28, 2022) and their mothers were evaluated, which concerned the vaccination status and infection rates in the children within their first four months.
More than 20,000 cases compared
The information on a total of 21,643 babies was compared. The mothers of 45 percent of the children (9,739) had already received two or three Covid-19 vaccinations (mRNA vaccines). The evaluation was also carried out after two periods: between September 1st and December 31st, 2021 with the predominance of the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 in Norway and after January 1st of this year with Omikron.
For many vaccinations, it has been proven for years that vaccinations during pregnancy also provide protection for the babies via the mother’s antibodies, which the children “get”. That could also be the case with Covid-19. The following results support this: A total of 5.8 SARS-CoV-2 infections per 10,000 days were found as an observation period in the first four months of life of all babies. In the first analyzed period up to the end of 2021 (delta variant), there were 1.2 SARS-CoV-2 infections per 10,000 days (babies up to four months old) among the children of vaccinated mothers, while three infections/10,000 days (babies up to four months) in children of unvaccinated mothers. This means a reduction in the risk of infection by 71 percent.
Reduced effect during Omicron Wave
The effect was smaller during the omicron wave: Here, a protective effect of 33 percent was shown in babies of vaccinated mothers within the first four months of life compared to babies of mothers without SARS-CoV-2 vaccination during pregnancy.
The national Austrian vaccination committee has formulated a clear recommendation for the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination for pregnant women. “During pregnancy, there is an increased risk of requiring intensive care if you are ill with Covid-19 and needing invasive ventilation (intubation) and being connected to an ECMO. There is also an increased risk of preterm birth. The currently available scientific data shows no adverse effects or abnormalities when using Covid-19 vaccines in pregnant women. Numerous authorities, committees and international professional societies (e.g. the US Centers for Disease Control/CDC or the German Standing Vaccination Commission/STIKO) and the EMA therefore recommend the Covid- 19 vaccination during pregnancy,” it says.
The vaccine should be given in the second or third trimester of pregnancy. “Extensive post-marketing surveillance of mRNA vaccines in pregnant women vaccinated during the second and third trimesters has shown no increase in adverse pregnancy outcomes,” the experts noted.
Source: Nachrichten
