COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy protects infants from SARS-CoV-2 infection Pregnancy SARSCoV2 Coronavirus Disease COVID researchsquare kpnorcal Yale
The United States has recorded more than 15 million pediatric COVID-19 cases until September 2022, and pediatric patients account for about 18% of US COVID-19 cases. Notably, during the Omicron wave, children younger than six months accounted for 44% of the overall COVID-19-associated hospitalizations among those under four.
Study: Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination and Infant Protection Against SARS-CoV-2 During the First 6 Months of Life. Image Credit: Marina Demidiuk / Shutterstock The study’s outcomes were the first positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction test result and hospitalization of infants within six months of life. In addition, electronic health records of mothers were accessed to obtain information on covariates such as age, race/ethnicity, the primary KPNC facility, neighborhood deprivation index , insurance payor, pre-pregnancy body mass index , diabetes status, hypertension, and parity.
In the first six months of life, 3.1% of infants tested SARS-CoV-2-positive, and 10 had to hospitalize. The crude incidence of SARS-CoV-2 test positivity was lower among infants born to double-vaccinated mothers than those with non-vaccinated mothers during the Delta wave. After adjusting for covariates, maternal vaccination during pregnancy was significantly associated with a lower risk of infants testing positive by 85% and 57% during the first two and six months , respectively.