Mother and Baby Safer When Vaccinated for COVID-19 Earlier During Pregnancy

Pregnant mothers should get a few vaccines before, during, and after their pregnancy to help keep them and their babies healthy. Antibodies developed by mothers in response to these vaccines not only protect them but also cross the placenta and help protect their babies from serious diseases in infancy. Vaccinating a mother during pregnancy also protects her from contracting a serious disease and then passing it on to her baby. A new study that finds an increased risk of poorer outcomes for newborns and symptomatic women with COVID-19 strengthens the case for pregnant women getting the virus vaccine.

Researchers looked at 2,471 women in their third trimester, close to delivery, and discovered "significant differences" in symptomatic covid positive patients, such as higher rates of gestational diabetes, lower white blood cell counts, and heavier bleeding during delivery, as well as respiratory complications in their babies. Only one patient needed mechanical ventilation, and no maternal deaths occurred in the group of 172 covid positive women (56 of whom were symptomatic) monitored at Israel's Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center.

The peer-reviewed findings are published today in The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine. They show, lead Dr. Elior Eliasi states, that COVID-19 in the third trimester of pregnancy “has clinical implications, albeit at lower rates than expected once asymptomatic patients are taken into account”.

“Our analysis finds there was no significant increase in cesarean delivery in women, who were COVID-19 positive and the incidence of preterm deliveries was not significantly different among the three groups (healthy, covid positive asymptomatic, covid positive symptomatic). Most pregnancy and delivery outcomes were similar between COVID-19-positive and -negative parturients (a woman about to give birth; in labor).

“However, There were significant differences between the COVID-19-positive and healthy controls included higher rates of GDM (gestational diabetes), low lymphocyte counts (white blood cell count) which were significantly lower, postpartum hemorrhage (bleeding during birth), and neonatal respiratory complications.” Dr. Eliasi, who is based at the Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center, adds: “Our findings support the importance of vaccinating all pregnant women at all stages of pregnancy.”

The study looked at births at the hospital between 26 March and 30 September 2020. A total of 93% of women admitted to the labor ward during this period were negative for COVID-19 and 67% were asymptomatic.

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The risk was 13.8% higher for asymptomatic covid patients than those with symptomatic. More data is needed to better delineate the differences between pregnancy outcomes seen in certain populations, researchers have said.

Source-Medindia