According to A study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the COVID-19 vaccine in pregnant women protects their babies from being hospitalized by up to 61 percent.
This was announced by obstetrician and CDC researcher Dana Meaney-Delman, who, in a session with the media, detailed that babies under six months old, whose mothers were vaccinated, were 61 percent less likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19.
She also explained that 84 percent of babies hospitalized for this disease were born to people who were not vaccinated during pregnancy, while 88 percent of those who entered intensive care units due to the virus were born to mothers who were not vaccinated before or during pregnancy.
She also said that the only baby who died during the study was born to a mother who was not vaccinated.
“The bottom line is that COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant women is a really important way to help protect these babies. Today’s news is very welcome, particularly in the context of the recent rise in hospitalizations among very young children. This has been the highest of the entire pandemic,” she said.
She added that, unfortunately, vaccination of babies under six months of age is not currently contemplated, so vaccination during pregnancy is very important for them.
She explained that the COVID-19 vaccine for pregnant women continues to be recommended by the CDC and many medical organizations.
“I personally advise all my pregnant patients that they are more likely to get seriously ill and experience complications, such as premature birth or even stillbirth, from COVID-19, and I strongly encourage them to get vaccinated,” she stressed.
Dr. Meaney-Delman stressed that the study findings reinforce the importance of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy, both to protect people who are pregnant and to help protect their babies.
“CDC recommends that people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or who may become pregnant in the future get vaccinated and stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations through the recommended booster doses,” she said.
When people receive the mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 during pregnancy, they generate antibodies that protect them against the disease. These antibodies have been found in the umbilical cord blood, indicating that they are transferred from the pregnant person to the developing baby.
“While we know that these antibodies cross the placenta, until this study, we did not yet have data to show whether these antibodies could provide protection. The data CDC is releasing today provide real-world evidence that getting vaccinated during pregnancy could help protect infants younger than six months from hospitalization due to COVID-19.”
It is worth noting that the study used data from the outreach network in 20 children's hospitals in 17 states of the country from July 2021 to mid-January of this year.
The authors examined the odds of COVID-19 vaccination among mothers whose infants were hospitalized and compared it to the odds of vaccination among mothers whose infants were hospitalized for other reasons.
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