Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

COVID Vaccine During Pregnancy Still Helps Protect Newborns, CDC Finds
CBS NEWS ^ | SEPTEMBER 28, 2023 | Alexander Tin

Posted on 09/28/2023 1:43:10 PM PDT by nickcarraway

ALEXANDER TIN Getting a shot of the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy works to pass on protection against the virus to newborns during their most vulnerable early months of life, a new study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

Maternal vaccination was 54% effective against COVID-19 hospitalization in infants younger than 3 months old over the past season.

The findings from the CDC-backed Overcoming COVID-19 Network were published Thursday in the agency's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. They drew from data on hospitalizations from 26 pediatric hospitals around the country through May 2023.

The effectiveness dropped to 35% when measured in infants from 3 to 5 months old.

COVID vaccines are currently approved in the U.S. for children ages 6 months and up, but not the youngest babies. So "these findings indicate that maternal vaccination during pregnancy could help prevent COVID-19–related hospitalization in infants too young to be vaccinated," the study's authors wrote.

Protection for both mother and baby

The findings are far from the first to find benefits from vaccination during pregnancy.

Previous results from the Overcoming COVID-19 Network, earlier during the pandemic, also found vaccine effectiveness up to 80% in babies born to moms who had timed getting their shots later during their pregnancy.

How to get the new COVID vaccine for free, with or without insurance The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have also urged eligible pregnant parents to get vaccinated. They point to numerous studies showing the shots are safe and can blunt the risk of severe illness for expectant parents as well.

Pregnancy can raise the risk of severe COVID-19. Catching the virus during pregnancy can also pose an increased risk of complications, including stillbirth, though the CDC says the "overall risks are low."

The CDC's new findings come as babies now rank as one of the age groups seeing the worst hospitalization rates from COVID-19.

"Hospitalization rates have increased in all age groups since mid July. Hospitalization rates remain highest in older adults and in young infants, less than six months of age," the CDC's Dr. Fiona Havers told a panel of the agency's outside vaccine experts earlier this month.

Havers was presenting data from the agency's COVID-NET system, which also found rates of hospitalizations remained worse in babies from COVID-19 than they were for influenza.

"Most children under 5, hospitalized with COVID-19 illness, have no underlying medical conditions," she said.

How does maternal immunization for COVID-19 work? The ability of maternal immunization to offer protection to babies has been well studied.

Pregnant moms have long been recommended to get shots to protect babies from other diseases like pertussis, also known as whooping cough, so they can pass on antibodies to their baby during pregnancy.

A new vaccine for RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is also now recommended for use this fall during pregnancy as an option to protect newborns.

Research backed by the National Institutes of Health found pregnant moms who got vaccinated against COVID-19 generated antibodies against the virus, which "effectively crossed the placenta and were also found in the cord blood."

Some experts have also theorized that protection could also pass through breast milk to babies, though a recent study called into question whether babies could absorb the antibodies.

Those scientists still found the vaccines appeared to work to transfer antibodies to the baby during pregnancy.

"Notably, the majority of infants born to women who received primary SARS-CoV-2 vaccine during pregnancy still had substantial transplacental antibodies five months after delivery," they wrote.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Health/Medicine; Science
KEYWORDS: cdc; covid; vaccine
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-43 last
To: nickcarraway; ransomnote; Jane Long
Speaking of CoupFlu vaxxes, just ran across this from last year...

Pemphigus vulgaris with advanced hypopharyngeal and gastric cancer following SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination

41 posted on 09/29/2023 5:17:37 AM PDT by mewzilla (Never give up; never surrender!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Veto!
Your reply made me think I should really check the background of the "experts" leading the CDC. This is as much for my edification as anything. It makes me question their real-world experience.

Mandy K. Cohen, MD, MPH, Director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). SVP Aledade and CEO of Aledade Care Solution.

Nirav D. Shah, MD, JD Principal Deputy Director (PDD) - ALL GOVERNMENT JOBS

Debra Houry, MD, MPH Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Program and Science - ALL GOVERNMENT JOBS

Andi Lipstein Fristedt, MPA Deputy Director for Policy, Communications, and Legislative Affairs - ALL GOVERNMENT JOBS

Howard Zucker, MD, JD Deputy Director for Global Health - ALL GOVERNMENT JOBS

Robin D. Bailey Jr., MA Chief Operating Officer - ALL GOVERNMENT JOBS

Kate Wollf, MPA Chief of Staff - ALL GOVERNMENT JOBS

42 posted on 09/29/2023 5:44:20 AM PDT by vg0va3
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: vg0va3

Nice work.
Isn’t that special.


43 posted on 09/29/2023 4:16:52 PM PDT by Veto! (FJB Sucks Rocks)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-43 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson