higher levels of antibodies.
Women who didn’t finish their vaccine before delivery: Women who had not finished their vaccine series by the time they delivered had significantly lower antibody levels than all other groups — as did the offspring’s cord blood.
“These study results are consistent with what we see with other maternal vaccines such as flu and Tdap, which, when given during pregnancy, protect the mother and baby,” senior author Dr. Laura Riley, obstetrician and gynecologist-in-chief at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center says.
The importance of getting vaccinated
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends COVID-19 vaccination and boosters for women that are pregnant, recently pregnant, breastfeeding or may become pregnant in the future.
Doctors from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) also affirmed that pregnant people can get vaccinated if they choose to, and said that there is “no theoretical reason” that the vaccine is dangerous to the pregnant individual or fetus, which is in line with the CDC’s advice.
“There’s really no theoretical reason to believe it’s going to cause harm to either the mother, or her unborn child and we’re very confident it’s going to provide considerable benefits to both the mother and the baby,” Dr. Richard Beigi, who sits on ACOG’s Immunization, Infectious Disease, and Public Health Preparedness Expert Work Group, previously told CNN.
Despite the recommendation to get vaccinated, only 31% of pregnant women had received vaccines as of September. So far, research has shown that their most common concerns have been a lack of information about COVID-19 vaccine safety in pregnancy and potential harm to the fetus.
Pregnant women are considered a high-risk group in terms of the impact of COVID-19. They have an increased risk of severe disease and death and are more likely to require admission into the intensive care unit, invasive ventilation and machine-assisted blood oxygenation. Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect you and your unborn child.
For more information about getting vaccinated while pregnant or breastfeeding, visit the CDC.