When it comes to getting a vaccine during pregnancy, it’s natural to have concerns. However, the benefits of getting vaccinated far outweigh any potential risks, for both you and your baby. This holds true for vaccines like the flu shot, pertussis (Tdap), and even the Covid vaccine. And now, a comprehensive study has shown that receiving the Covid vaccine while pregnant does not lead to adverse outcomes in newborns and infants. In fact, it may even protect against such outcomes in newborns, according to the research.
If you’re currently expecting or planning to become pregnant, you’re probably wondering whether it’s safe to get the Covid vaccine while pregnant.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends that all eligible pregnant individuals receive the vaccine during pregnancy, whether it’s an updated booster or a primary series. This is crucial to ensure the best possible protection against severe forms of the disease, which can be more dangerous during pregnancy. Since babies under 6 months are not yet eligible for the Covid vaccine, getting vaccinated while pregnant can provide them with some level of protection after they’re born. A previous JAMA study revealed that infants born to vaccinated mothers had higher rates of antibodies that lasted until they reached 6 months old, compared to babies born to unvaccinated mothers who contracted Covid. Maternal vaccination has also been found to result in the presence of antibodies in breast milk.
What You Need to Know About the Impact of the Covid Vaccine in Pregnancy on Newborns
The recent study, published in JAMA Pediatrics on Monday, examined 142,006 live births in Ontario from May 2021 to September 2022. Of the infants studied, roughly 60% were exposed to one or more doses of the Covid vaccine while their mothers were pregnant. The researchers included women who were vaccinated during any trimester.
Being vaccinated during pregnancy was associated with reduced risks of severe disease in the first 28 days after birth, as well as lowered chances of the baby being placed in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the researchers discovered.
Infants exposed to the vaccine had a 14% lower likelihood of experiencing severe neonatal morbidity after one month of birth. They were also 53% less likely to die and 14% less likely to be admitted to the NICU.
In addition, the researchers did not find any link between receiving the vaccine during pregnancy and readmission to the hospital within the first 28 days after birth, or even six months later.
According to the study authors, vaccination rates among pregnant women have been significantly lower compared to nonpregnant women in many parts of the world. “Uncertainty about vaccine safety for the infant” is one of the most commonly cited reasons for the lack of intent to get vaccinated during pregnancy. However, the authors conducted this study to provide evidence regarding the safety of infant outcomes after maternal vaccination.
“We assessed the safety of maternal COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy for newborns and infants and did not find an increase in adverse outcomes,” said Sarah Jorgensen, the lead author and a researcher at the University of Toronto, in an interview with Newsweek. “In fact, some of these outcomes were actually improved in infants of mothers vaccinated during pregnancy.”
“These improved outcomes might be because the vaccines protect mothers from severe COVID-19 during pregnancy, which, in turn, is associated with pregnancy complications and harm to the fetus/newborn,” Jorgensen explained. “Or it could be because women who get the vaccine are generally from higher-income areas and have other health-related behaviors associated with improved newborn and infant outcomes. Most likely, both explanations have some level of responsibility.”
