COVID-19 vaccination safe during pregnancy
(HealthDay)—Maternal vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy is safe and not associated with detrimental outcomes to the offspring, according to a study published online Feb. 10 in JAMA Pediatrics.
Inbal Goldshtein, Ph.D., from Maccabi Healthcare Services in Tel-Aviv, Israel, and colleagues examined whether BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination during pregnancy is associated with adverse neonatal and early infant outcomes among the newborns. Analysis included 24,288 eligible singleton live births in March through September 2021, within a large state-mandated health care organization (16,697 exposed to vaccination).
The researchers observed substantial differences in preterm birth rates between exposed and unexposed newborns (risk ratio [RR], 0.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83 to 1.10) or small birthweight for gestational age (RR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.87 to 1.08). There were also no significant differences seen in the incidence of all-cause neonatal hospitalizations (RR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.88 to 1.12), postneonatal hospitalizations (RR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.84 to 1.07), congenital anomalies (RR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.44 to 1.04), or infant mortality (RR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.43 to 1.72).
"These findings contribute to current evidence in establishing the safety of BNT162b2 to offspring and can be used to inform pregnant patients, couples planning pregnancy, and counseling physicians," the authors write.
More information: Inbal Goldshtein et al, Association of BNT162b2 COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy With Neonatal and Early Infant Outcomes, JAMA Pediatrics (2022). DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.0001
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