Vaccination against Covid-19 during pregnancy helps protect babies after birth: study

Vaccinate at pregnant women against him coronavirus could help prevent hospitalizations in babies after birth, especially if expectant mothers were immunized later in pregnancy, US researchers reported Tuesday.

The results shed light on whether the benefits of vaccination during pregnancy they are extended to babies who would be too young to receive the injections.

Researchers from several pediatric hospitals and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of U.S they analyzed children younger than six months between July 2021 and January 2022.

The study looked at data from 379 hospitalized babies: 176 with Covid-19 and 203 who were admitted for other problems. He discovered that the vaccines against Covid-19 were 61% effective overall in preventing hospitalizations in children whose mothers were immunized during pregnancy.

That protection increased to 80% when mothers were vaccinated between 21 weeks and 14 days before delivery. Efficacy dropped to 32% for infants whose mothers were immunized at first part of pregnancy.

The study authors cautioned that estimates of efficacy in early stages of pregnancy should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size.

“Right now we want to make sure we’re protecting both the mother and the baby,” he told reporters. Dana Meaney-Delman, from the CDC. “So as soon as a pregnant woman is willing to get vaccinated, she should do it.”

According to the CDC, pregnant women are at higher risk of serious illness from the coronavirus, and having it during pregnancy can increase the risk of preterm labor, stillbirth and possibly other complications.

The CDC recommends that women who are pregnant, who are breastfeedingwho are trying to become pregnant or who may become pregnant in the future are immunized and up to date with vaccines against Covid-19.