A large-scale study in the United States with 46,079 pregnant women found that the Covid-19 vaccination was completely safe. Unlike other false and non-conclusive claims, taking the vaccination didn’t contribute to risks of preterm birth or affect the development and growth of the babies.
Every country in the world that has started their Covid-19 vaccination drive have included pregnant women and women trying to get pregnant in their vaccination programs. However, several recipients have expressed fear and hesitancy against taking the vaccine, worrying about the consequences.
The study’s observation suggests that unvaccinated pregnant women contracting Covid-19 with potent symptoms have a 70% risk of death compared to vaccinated pregnant women. The recent study was conducted by researchers from Yale University.
Reports also suggest that unvaccinated pregnant women are also 2x more likely to need hospitalization than vaccinated women. Hospitalization can also include the need for intensive care, intensive ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
The study was a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with eight Vaccine Safety Datalink healthcare organizations.
The included subjects in the study involved participants between the age of 16-49 who got pregnant between May-October 2020 and were due between February-July 2021.
The researchers noted down the data about the subjects’ pregnancies, including the data on the gestational age. Amidst them, one in five of the subjects (10,064 pregnant women) had already received the first or both shots of the vaccine. Around 98.3% of the subjects were vaccinated by their second or third trimester.
The authors included it as a crucial marker because the second and third trimesters include the peak time for fetal growth and development.
Following is the breakdown of the types of vaccines the subjects received:
- Pfizer BioNTech – 54.5%
- Moderna – 41.4%
- Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) – 4.2%
For the subjects who received the mRNA vaccine (Pfizer and Moderna), 18.2% received the first dose, and 81.8% received both doses of the vaccines.
In the 40,627 live births reported, none of the babies were associated with the risks of preterm birth or faced issues being small than their gestational age at birth.
This conclusive study from the United States was further matched with reports from studies conducted in Israel and the United Kingdom. All of the studies reported no difference in the outcome for the pregnant women who were vaccinated during their term.
“Findings from this retrospective, multisite cohort of a large and diverse population with comprehensive data on vaccination, comorbidities, and birth outcomes add to the evidence supporting the safety of covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy,” the study concluded.
References:
1-Lipkind HS, Vazquez-Benitez G, DeSilva M, et al. Receipt of covid-19 vaccine during pregnancy and pre-term or small for gestational age at birth—eight integrated health care organizations, United States, December 15, 2020-July 22, 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep2022;71:26-30. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7101e1 pmid:34990445. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7101e1.htm
This content has been reviewed by Srujana Mohanty who is working in scientific & medical writing and editing since 2018. She is also associated with the quality assurance team of scientific journal editing.
