COVID Vax, Booster During Pregnancy Bolsters Protections for Newborns

WASHINGTON — Women who receive an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccination or booster during pregnancy can provide their infants with significant protection against COVID-19 for at least six months after birth, a new study found.

The research was conducted by the Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium and published in the journal Pediatrics.

The study by the consortium, which engages in patient-focused infectious disease research, was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The researchers said their findings reinforce the importance of receiving both a COVID-19 vaccine and booster during pregnancy.

Their analysis suggests infants born under such scenarios enjoy robust protection against COVID-19 that lasts until they are old enough to be vaccinated themselves.

COVID-19 is especially dangerous for newborns and young infants, and even healthy infants are vulnerable to COVID-19 and are at risk for severe disease. 

This is especially of concern as currently there are no COVID-19 vaccines available for infants under six months old.

Earlier results from the same study revealed that when pregnant volunteers received both doses of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, antibodies induced by the vaccine could be found in their newborns’ cord blood. 

While this suggested that the infants in question likely had some protection against COVID-19, no one knew how long these antibody levels would last or how well the infants would actually be protected.

During the second phase of the Multi-site Observational Maternal and Infant COVID-19 Vaccine initiative, the researchers analyzed data from 475 infants born while their pregnant mothers were enrolled in the study. 

The inquiry included 271 infants whose mothers had received two doses of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy. 

The remaining 204 infants in the study were born to mothers who had received both doses of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine as well as a COVID-19 booster. 

To supplement data gathered during pregnancy and at birth, the infants were evaluated during at least one follow-up visit during their first six months after birth. Parents also reported whether their infants had become infected or had demonstrated COVID-19 symptoms.

Based on blood samples from the infants, the researchers found that newborns with high antibody levels at birth also had greater protection from COVID-19 infection during their first six months. 

While infants of mothers who received two COVID-19 vaccine doses had a robust antibody response at birth, infants whose mothers had received an additional booster dose during pregnancy had both higher levels of antibodies at birth and greater protection from COVID-19 infection at their follow-up visits.

And perhaps the best outcome of all, during the course of this study none of the infants examined required hospitalization for COVID-19. 

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue