A new study from researchers at the New York University found that Covid-19 vaccines do more than just protect mothers-to-be, pregnant women also pass on the antibodies to their unborn children.
The study looked at blood samples from 36 newborn babies from mothers who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and found that all of them had the antibodies when they were born.
It was found that mothers who received the vaccine 13 weeks before giving birth seemed to pass along higher levels of antibodies than mothers who were vaccinated more than 20 weeks before giving birth. However more data is needed to determine if there is a correlation between the timing of the vaccine and a newborn’s antibody levels. It is also not yet clear how well the babies were protected from the Corona virus or how long this protection might last.
Still, the researchers suggested that the Corona virus antibodies may give infants protection during the neonatal period (their first four weeks) or longer.
“If babies could be born with antibodies, it could protect them in the first several months of their lives, when they are most vulnerable,” Ashley Roman, one of the study authors, said in a press release.
The team wrote that their findings “add to a growing list of important reasons why women should be advised to receive the Covid-19 vaccine during pregnancy.”
Newborns may get the best protection from vaccinated mothers as several studies have found that pregnant women develop higher antibody levels if they are vaccinated than if they previously had Covid-19. It was also found in an August study that pregnant women develop antibodies from the vaccine as early as five days after their first dose and then transfer those antibodies to their newborns as early as 16 days after the first dose.
Studies have shown that the vaccines are highly effective for pregnant women and in a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention it was found that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have not increased the risk of miscarriage among women. And an August study from NYU found that the vaccines didn’t increase the chances of birth complications or harm to the foetus, either.
Meanwhile the risk of dying from Covid-19 is almost twice as high for pregnant women and infants are also much more likely to develop a severe case of Covid-19.
In South Africa, a Covid-19 vaccine is now recommended for women at any stage of pregnancy following a late-August update to guidance.
Sources: Daily Mail, Business Insider
Follow FiND iT on Facebook here.
ALSO READ: Vaccine-evading Covid mutations possible
