Babies Born To Covid-Vaccinated Moms Are Less Likely To Get Hospitalised, Reveals New Study

Babies less than six months old whose mothers were vaccinated were 60 percent less likely to be hospitalised with Covid-19, according to the CDC study

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New Delhi: If you are one of those moms-to-be and still worried about whether to get vaccinated or not, then here is a new study for you.

Babies born to mothers fully vaccinated against the coronavirus during pregnancy were around 60 percent less likely to be hospitalised with severe Covid-19, reveals a new study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday.

What are the findings?

The above effect had been hypothesized as a result of the transfer of antibodies through the placenta during pregnancy and through breast milk after birth. However, it is not backed by real-world evidence until now.

The CDC study comprised 379 babies aged up to six months, who were hospitalized in 20 pediatric centers from July 2021 to January 2022, according to AFP. In its research, the authors compared the odds of Covid-19 vaccination among mothers whose babies were hospitalised with the disease (176 infants) compared to the odds of vaccination among mothers whose babies were hospitalized for non-Covid reasons (203 infants), who remained a control group.

The findings have arrived through the statistical method used in real-world studies that examine patients with similar characteristics and is often used when it's not possible or ethical to carry out a randomized clinical trial.

"Babies less than six months old whose mothers were vaccinated were 61 percent less likely to be hospitalized with Covid-19," CDC researcher Dana Meaney-Delman said in a press call.

Also, 84 percent of babies who were hospitalized with Covid were born to people not vaccinated in pregnancy. The one baby who died in the study was born to a mother who was not vaccinated.

Black and Hispanic babies were disproportionately hospitalized for Covid. "The bottom line is that maternal vaccination is a really important way to help protect these young infants," said Meaney-Delman.

In fact, the study revealed that a two-dose vaccine series later in pregnancy was more protective than earlier in pregnancy, 80 percent compared to 32 percent.

Knowing about the waning of antibody levels in the months that follow vaccination, Meaney-Delman said it was important for people to get vaccinated at any stage during pregnancy in order to protect both the mother and baby.

"If we have a woman who comes in in the first trimester and is vaccinated she can actually be eligible for a booster vaccine later in pregnancy," she said, but added it was premature for the agency to recommend boosters specifically for the pregnant.

A limitation of the study was it began during the early phase of vaccine rollout and did not include mothers who were vaccinated prior to pregnancy.

(With agency inputs)